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gmoyes- Ghost Red's blank eyes are intently fixed upon Alex as he does his best to provide a suitable answer for not only the meaning of life, but whether or not life is similar to a game. Receiving inspiration from the Lake Trio and the values they represent, Alex describes the spirit's drives for what are essentially wisdom, courage and empathy; certainly, these three aspects of the human soul are far from meaningless. In addition, Alex dives into the metaphor of life as a game with a level of depth that would make any nerd proud, and admits that while there are definitely parallels between the two, life is ultimately more complicated than any game. The sagacity of his answers not only startles Alex's Pokemon, but also Alex himself; he did not seem to realize that such wisdom lay dormant within him. Alex hopes that by providing a strong and thought-provoking response to Ghost Red's question, the spectral trainer will perhaps spare him from some sort of deadly wrath.

Ghost Red pauses for a moment, as if letting your responses sink in. In that tense moment, Alex and his Pokemon anxiously await his reaction, hoping that he will, perhaps, respect Alex's viewpoint, and maybe even help the trio out. After the long, dreadful pause, a smirk begins to play across Red's face, and he starts snorting a bit, as if holding in laughter. The glare of his pupilless eyes becomes even more unnerving as he responds to Alex's philosophizing; "Here I was thinking you had the flopping, water-logged mind of a Magikarp. Perhaps I was wrong... or perhaps, your mind is evolving right before my eyes." Ghost Red's grin slowly spreads across his face as he speaks. "You know... it's funny, the things we find ourselves saying in the face of death, in those brief, aching moments..." At this comment, Ghost Red breaks out into a full-on laugh. Through bouts of eerie, echoing laughter, he comments: "How funny we are! How deeply, how pitifully we struggle against the inevitable! And yet..." Ghost Red trails off, his laughter subsiding. He raises a hand to his mouth, tapping his chin as if considering something.

"You seek Pokemon, do you not?" For a moment, hope seems to wash over Alex and his Pokemon, as Ghost Red's posture and demeanor suggests that he seems to be considering helping the trio in their endeavors. The expression that suddenly comes across Red's face, however, erases all traces of hope; his smile becomes wider than what any human could physically produce, as his lips seem to curl around his cheeks; his eyes bulge as if about to fall out, and his teeth appear unnaturally sharp as the grin spreads... "I can help you. Ohhhh, I can help you..."

Suddenly, Red's Pikachu begins screaming horrifically from the shadows, as you watch the Pikachu's figure writhe as if in pain; its little feet begin growing and stretching, pulsating and morphing into long, human like legs. Arms burst out of Pikachu's body, with flesh and bodily fluid seeping out of the Pikachu's body as they flail helplessly. Pikachu eventually gains enough control of the arms to crawl, slowly drag itself towards Alex, its bulbous head now visible in the light. the Pikachu turns its face upward; Alex can see now that the Pikachu has no facial features, though the yellow, fur-covered, featureless face is expanding from the inside, as if something is trying to push against it and break out from underneath the surface. The face seems to split horizontally, as if a mouth was forming, and the scream that blasts from it sounds strangely like a young man's... like yours... blood splatters everywhere from the screaming, gaping wound, as something finally emerges from the gash. From the wash of blood, Alex can see his own face bursting from the Pikachu's body. The whole display paralyzes Alex with fear - or perhaps a more supernatural force roots him to the ground where he stands - either way, he is unable to order his Pokemon or perform any actions as the screaming Pikachu morphs into a near-perfect copy of Alex; of course, like Ghost Red, the one major difference is that Ghost Alex has no pupils.

Ghost Alex removes an ebony Pokeball from his belt, looking at the real Alex with a predatory glint in his eye... Activating the Pokeball, he throws it at the real Alex, screaming, "POKEBALL, GO!" A white light blinds Alex as it envelops his entire body, and a feeling like his very being is coming apart cell by cell overwhelms him; once enveloped by light, he is now a part of the light, glowing and formless. He is sucked into the Pokeball, and into utter darkness. Though he instinctively struggles against the pitch-black walls that surround him, an overwhelming sense of fatigue overcomes him, and he finds himself involunarily drifting to sleep within the terrifying confines of Ghost Red's Pokeball. A voice rings through the ominous space, strangely similar to that of Ghost Red: "On my honor as a trainer, the spirits will rest. I will personally make their beds and see that they sleep soundly, for the good of the Isle and for the good of Fizzytopia!" The roar of an excited croud applauding and cheering fades with Alex's consciousness as he falls asleep.

A distant shout eventually awakens Alex from his slumber, as the blinding light once again flashes over his eyes, and indeed, his entire being. He awakens in a pixelated world, where everything is red and white, and everything from the rock walls to the pebble sprites indicate to Alex that, somehow, he seems to have been transported into the very first Pokemon game. The exit of the mysterious cave is within a few steps of where Alex is... floating? Something definitely doesn't feel right. A pixelated version of Ghost Alex is staring at him, with a text bubble underneath saying, "Good job, ALEX! We're almost there!" Ghost Alex's sprite takes a step towards the exit, and a familiar flashing of lights and sound effect indicating a wild encounter overwhelms the cave. Suddenly, the entire environment melts into blank nothingness, as Alex and Ghost Alex come face to face with a pixelated version of Geodude, fists curled into a fighting stance. A text bubble suddenly appears in front of the pair: "A wild GEODUDE appeared!" Ghost Alex's voice rings out: "Go, ALEX!" Alex finds himself inexplicably shouting "PORYGON" and jumping into battle... From the text box that appears inexplicably beside Alex in the empty, white space, Alex can see that he is Level 12, that Ghost Alex wants him to FIGHT, and that he knows Agility, Psybeam, Tackle and Conversion. Ghost Alex has selected Agility to begin the battle. Will Alex obey the command, or will he follow his own orders?

Alex gave a little grin to himself when the copy Red first spoke. He managed to impress the ghost, that should score him some brownie points. Though it said that he did it in the face of death. Did that mean that if he didn't answer right he would have been killed? Well he passed that test so he didn't have to worry about that, but he was getting more unnerved by the minute.

And then it asked if he was looking pokemon. Alex gave a nervous nod, there we indeed looking to expand their squad. It seemed that the Red clone wanted to help, which would be useful. Have something that knew the area would be of great aid.

And then it grinned.

The first thing that sprang to Alex's mind was the Chesire cat. The ghost probably could do the same disappearing act as the feline, though he knew nothing good could come from it. This was a trap. He took a step back but stopped and cringed as the piercing screech of the Pikachu rang out. He paused to look at it and almost lost his lunch. He was proud of his stomach but even the most hardened stomachs would be unsettled at the sight in front of him. The electric rodent in front of him was changing in the most horrid way possible. Blood spewed everywhere as limbs burst out of its body. He quickly looked away and covered his eyes to wait it out. Another scream rang out, this one sounding all too human and familiar.

As the sounds of writhing died down, Alex took a peek over his arm to see what horrid monster the creature had morphed itself into. The thing before him was familiar and shocking. The thing had turned into...

Himself.

It was like looking in a mirror, everything was exact. His glasses, the clothes it was wearing, the hair that should have been cut a couple weeks ago, even the scruffy sideburns and pimples were the same. It was exactly him except for the eyes. It got those from copy Red. He wanted to get the hell out of there but he couldn't move. He caught the eye of his companions and could tell they couldn't budge either. Terror gripped Alex. What where they going to do? Kill him and have some sort of demon take his place?

And then his copy pulled out a white pokeball, sort of like the Permier Ball that housed his own Bronzor. He was confused for a moment. If they wanted to kill him, why were they about to battle him? But instead of releasing a pokemon, his clone threw it straight at him. He was even more confused. Were they trying to catch him? That wasn't possible, pokeballs were programmed so that they couldn't ever-

And then is struck him enveloping him in a white light.

Alex was stunned for a moment and his body dissoved into energy. The pokeball worked? It was impossible! But even so, he was drawn into the pokeball and his sences shut off. Inside, he was only aware of his own mind and the surrounding void. He quickly filed the feeling of being caught away and started struggling, trying to probe a way out with is mind and crying for help. "Theta! Bronzor! Help! Anyone?" No help came but the voice of the Red clone rang out proclaiming rest for the spirits of the island. He had no clue what that had to do with his predicament, rest seemed to be a good idea. There was certainly nothing else to do and trying to thing about it wouldn't help. There was nothing there to discomfort him so his usual insomnia wasn't as apparent.

Alex woke up in a flash of light and found himself in a completely alien world, yet one that looked familiar. Everything was in a pixilated white and red. There wasn't shading, things were either a uniform red, pink or white. Turning around, feeling a little dizzy, he saw is copy in the same pixilated colour scheme as the rest of the world. They seemed to be in some sort of cave. Just then he realized that something didn't feel right about his body. He looked down to examine himself.

And found himself hovering a full meter above the ground.

He was stunned and he faultered for a moment and dipped towards the ground before he recovered. "What the hell?" he said aloud but it came out in some sort of garbled tone. He looked at himself and realized he had turned into a Porygon. He had been a fan of the species and always wanted one for himself, but he had never imagened turning into one himself. Porygon was the first virtual pokemon, created by using the pokeball technology of turning matter into information and energy in reverse. While not the first manmade pokemon, the Golett and Baltoy lines had that honour, but those ancient pokemon involved spirits inhabiting madmade items. Everything in a Porygon was programmed, which led to disputes about if the species had a 'soul'. His studies of non-biological were far reaching, but it wasn't enough unless he got first-hand experiance. Well this was about as first hand as he could get.

As his mind twisted around the impossiblity of his situation, he saw some sort of screen below his copy reading 'Good job ALEX! We're almost there!' Alex inwardly grimaced, seeing as he currently didn't have a mouth to display it outwardly. His clone though of him as its pokemon and it, his trainer. In a sort of twisted way 'he' did catch one of dream pokemon. As his copy took a step towards a small archway, red lights flashed before his eyes and found himself in a wide expanse of white, confronted by a blocky Geodude frozen in a fighting pose. A low rumbling tone came from the rock type, followed by a screen displaying 'A wild GEODUDE appeared!'

There was a shout from his non-visible clone calling him into battle even though he was already there. A high garbled pitch excaped from him and a screen of his own popped up. It was right then and there he realized where he was.

He was inside one of the original pokemon games.

This must be all a big illusion put on by whatever was behind the Red copy. Whatever its game was, he was playing a major part in it. As his copy made orders, Alex analyzed the situation for himself. He had a little side note for himself; he figured that if a person turned into a pokemon, they would be at the same level as their age. Just one of the many things he thought about, but there were more pressing matters to attend to.

His clone wanted him to use Aglity, though it took him a moment to realize that he didn't have to follow orders. The choice to boost up before attacking was a common stratagy and increasing speed and the ablity to dodge would be useful, it wasn't the best stratagy here. It might work in real life but of course, this wasn't real life. Porygon were faster than Geodude and he had two levels on his opponent. Also he doubted he would be able to dodge, in the games pokemon always sat like bumps on a log waiting to be attacked. He would try of course but it would probably be breaking the rules. So with one move out, he thought about his other options. Tackle would hardly leave a dent in the rock type so that was a no go. Conversion would change him into one of the types of his moves, so if he used it it would change him into a psychic type seeing as he was already a normal type. That would give his Psybeam a boost. So he should be able to win if he used Conversion then kept spamming it with Psybeam, no matter what his copy wanted him to do otherwise.

But then came the problem that he had no clue how to use his attacks. Tackle was obviously a no-brainer, but how did pokemon pull off special attacks? He tried to remember pictures about Porygon using their Conversion attack. They seemed to focus and then a glow of energy surrounded them corresponding to what ever type they turned into. So following their example, Alex closed his eyes and thought about everything psychic, from pokemon to attacks, always coming back to the fact he knew Psybeam. He hoped to Arceus that it would work, he worried about what would happen if he lost.

Balmund- Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear. The famous quote by Mark Twain seems especially true for Balmund at this moment, as he makes his way toward one of the most fear-inducing rides of Phantom Isle's Haunted Theme Park: Rollerquaza. Balmund certainly has plenty to fear, especially without the company of his trusted Pokemon. After all, this ride in particular is one of the few with the distinction of being frightening even before the terrifying and tragic Ghost Train incident, and those events have only made the ride that much more intimidating and fearsome. To make matters worse, the spirits who have invaded the park often pull life-threatening pranks for their own amusement. After all, to the dead, the fear of the living is incredibly amusing, and unfortunately for the brave dragon tamer, the spirits love to laugh, and will go to great lengths for entertainment. That said, Balmund reasons that what doesn't kill him makes him stronger, and decides that Rollerquaza will be an excellent test of his own bravery in the face of extreme danger. It is hard to say whether Balmund's decision to keep his Pokemon in their balls is an act of love and protection, or simply an act of intense foolishness in hopes of proving his own bravery. Perhaps it's a little of both.

As Balmund approaches the ominous thrill ride, he notices that the line is extending out the door. For a moment, he mutters to himself about the long wait, before suddenly realizing that something is not right about this whole scene; looking up again, the entire line of people has vanished. Attributing the vision to a trick of the eye, Balmund moves forward, up and down winding staircases and through mazelike rooms painted to look like a sky filled with legendaries and dragon Pokemon; it is clear that these rooms and staircases once housed terribly long lines, like the one he previously thought he had seen. Eventually, he makes his way to the end of the line, and a Rayquaza-shaped roller coaster car is waiting for him. It appears that this is car #10. Seems as if Lady Luck favors you; the car looks clean, well-kept and without any apparent mechanical flaws. Even so, it is a bit unnerving that directly above the ride, a sign reminds boarding passengers that "This is your last chance to turn back," with an arrow pointing to the exit. Considering all the events that have befallen the park, and the sinister turn the ride has taken, this sign has become even more foreboding.

At first, Balmund doesn't notice the strange being standing at the podium; however, he soon realizes that there is what appears to be a person in a giant Rayquaza costume at the control panel, staring at Balmund from behind the Rayquaza mask. Mascots, admittedly, are creepy under normal circumstances, but the presence of one here is just that much more unnerving. The strange thing about this costume is that one would assume that the silouhette of a face could be seen behind the mesh Rayquaza mouth, but it appears as if no one is inside the costume, despite the fact that it is standing upright and has the aura of being alive. Perhaps the mesh is simply too thick to see through. Either way, the Rayquaza gives Balmund a quick once-over before wordlessly giving him a thumbs up, followed by a silent point towards the ride.

If Balmund wants to turn back, or do anything before getting on the ride, this is his last chance. What will be his course of action?

Approaching the line, Balmund notices a long line extending out the door; a very irregular sight. Balmund was aware he probably wasn't the only brave adventurer exploring the haunted park right now, and to see so many people gathered here was puzzling to say the least. In a blink of an eye however, the line vanishes, and Balmund carefully observes the scene to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. Deciding it probably was his imagination, he moves forward into the building, and while a part of him knew that what he saw wasn't a mere illusion, it was better for his mental sanity to believe otherwise. Still, he couldn't keep himself from whispering the occasional 'excuse me' and 'coming through' as he made his way through the maze-like rooms that lead to the cars themselves.

With the rooms all neatly decorated with images of legendary and dragon Pokémon, it seemed to Balmund that they were arranged in such a way so as to tell a story regarding the central theme of this attraction, but he decided to not give it too much though,as he was more surprised about the sheer length of the stairways and pathways. Back in the day, they probably housed terribly long lines, and chances are, they still do, though perhaps not with the kind of passengers Balmund would want to sit with.

Finally reaching the end of the line, Balmund notices the Rayquaza shaped roller-coaster waiting for him, looking impecably clean, well-kept and functional. The sense of relative security it provided was reassuring, but more likely than not, it would be more like a pretty gift holding a deadly bomb within. The presence of a sign above reminding passengers to turn back while they still can only further fuel Balmund's anxiety, and while once upon a time it was probably amusing and innocent enough, in its current context it was likely an advice best followed.

Looking up at the podium, Balmund notices a person in a giant Rayquaza costume handling the control panel, staring back at Balmund with that creepy unreadable mask mascots wear. Mascots had always creeped Balmund out, and they were right up there on the list with clowns and mimes. Though Balmund could feel it was alive, it was hard to tell if there actually was a human being within, and in all honesty, Balmund prefered not to know. As the Rayquaza gives Balmund a thumbs up before silently pointing towards the ride, Balmund nods silently before turning towards the car, trying not to outwardly show his inner fears and axieties. Taking a deep breath, he pulls out his Seviper's Pokéball and kisses it gently before putting it back in its place. Whatever happens now was up to the whims of the island, Balmund thought to himself as he headed to the foremost row of the Rollerquaza.

Shadowshocker- Ever since the horrific events of the Ghost Train, it seems as if a persistent chill has gripped Phantom Isle, sending shudders down the spines of those who visit. Shadow, Scherza and Dahlia are no exceptions, as they weather the frosty atmosphere in order to explore the long-since abandoned Phantom Isle Hotel. Shadow admires the opulence and beauty of the hotel's exterior, as one of the birds on his shoulders squaks away, while the other silently broods. Shadow opens the door to the Lobby cautiously, hoping that he will be prepared for whatever dangers he might face. Shadow intimately understands the risks that present themselves with every adventure, and inwardly vows to himself to do his best to keep himself and his Pokemon safe. Taking a deep breath, Shadow take his first steps into the hotel, balanced on either side by his companions.

Though the power has long since been shut off, enough natural light from the Lobby windows seeps through to give Shadow and his Pokemon a good view of the area into which they have entered. The Lobby of the Phantom Isle Hotel is a fascinating look into the history of the Isle; the Edwardian architectural themes that pervade throughout the hotel hint at a construction date in the early 1900s, and the architects certainly spared no expense at making the Phantom Isle Hotel look gorgeous. The beautiful marble floors, impressive archways, ebony chandeliers and elegantly carved walls and ceilings are astounding to behold. In contrast to the stately, historic presence of the architectural aspects of the Lobby, giant posters scattered around the Lobby advertise theme park rides in bright colors and obnoxious computer-generated font. From Rollerquaza to Mantine Mania for nearly every park ride. Off to the side, a room filled with small chairs, toys and a broken television hints at the changes the Phantom Isle Hotel had to make in later years to accomodate for the clientele attracted by the Phantom Isle Amusement Park. Signs pointing to dining rooms, arcade rooms, boutiques and more appear in every archway. Certainly, there should be plenty to explore here.

As Shadow and his bird companions walk cautiously into the lobby, one of the chandeliers above Shadow's head begins to violently shake, as if an earthquake had suddenly struck. Strangely, however, none of the other objects in the lobby seem to be reacting to the tremors. The shaking becomes so intense that the chandelier frees itself from the chain that attached it to the wall. Though Shadow and his Pokemon duck out of the way to avoid being hit by a falling chandelier, the chandelier strangely does not come crashing down; instead, it gently floats towards the ground, its candles lighting one by one of their own volition. Finally, the center light of the chandelier becomes illuminating, revealing the strange object to be a Chandelure. The Pokemon gives Shadow a wry smile and seems to bow, as if welcoming him and his Pokemon. In the soft flicker of the Chandelure's lights, Shadow can make out the vague silhouette of a person, even though he could have sworn there was no one else in the area. The ghostlike image plays in and out of Shadow's vision until it disappears entirely. Chandelure notices that Shadow has seen some sort of spectre, and chuckles a bit.

"My lights illuminate more than just darkness," says a strange voice emanating from the candle-covered Pokemon. "I am willing to light your path if you can prove that you are strong enough to face the dangers that lie ahead. If you wish to go forward, one of your Pokemon must defeat me first." The Chandelure's eyes narrow as it assumes a battle pose. "If you do not wish to accept my challenge, I suggest you turn back." The Chandelure looks tough, but will Shadow try to prove that he is tougher?

The phenomenon of talking Pokemon was somewhat common amongst adventurers, but the encounter was a first for Shadow. The scientist's brief of Unovan species made note of the Chandelure family's ability to seal away the soul of their victims, but so far, this particular specimen appeared to be diplomatic in his approach. And at any rate, Shadow was willing to accept any friendly assistance that presented itself - it was unlikely that Pokemon were the only entities roaming the hotel - but who would combat the luring light?

"Squawk! A new challenger has arrived! Squawk!" Scherza cawed, just as Dahlia ruffled her blazing feathers. The latter cast a death glare of nothing but severe loathing while the floating Fire-type gazed back at her, serenely and sinisterly. "Are you certain?" asked the scientist. "I know you've never taken well to spirits ever since that Hallowe - ouch!" Reflexively Shadow backpedalled a few steps as pain dug into his earlobe; Dahlia having nipped at it with her beak before angrily taking flight off his shoulder. "Alright, I get it." It was clear that Dahlia was determined to not let anything, her Trainer or otherwise, get in her way. "Ominous Wind to Air Cutter, then take it into a Drill Peck."

"Krrrrr," growled Dahlia, almost as if to say "Don't tell me what to do, idiot; I can think for myself."

uhhhhh- Gaspard is quick to sense something sinister about the balloon, which sends shivers down his little monkey spine. Though Connor is quick to comfort his Pokemon and provide extra warmth, he misses the hint that his Pokemon is giving that this balloon may be more than just a simple little parlor trick. Connor takes the purple balloon and thanks the man for the gift before tying the balloon to his wrist, grabbing his camera and moving forward. The balloon man gives Connor an eerie wink. "You are most welcome, my young friend. Enjoy." The balloon man slowly walks toward the entrance with the rest of his balloon bouquet, presumably looking to offer his wares to anyone else who may enter the mirror-filled attraction.

The maze is maddeningly difficult; deceitful reflections and dead-end pathways are everywhere, and Connor finds himself banging into mirrors far more often than he'd like. Throughout his experience, the balloon's reflection remains completely missing. Indeed, even with the balloon in Connor's possession, it is difficult to figure out how such a trick is being accomplished. Is it something to do with light? Is it the material with which the balloon is made? Was this particular funhouse designed in such a way that balloons do not reflect in the mirrors? Did they manage to fit a ghost Pokemon in there? All sorts of explanations float through Connor's head, each one more absurd and lacking in plausibility than the last. Certainly, the balloon itself was a puzzle.

Perhaps a confusing mirror-maze was not the best choice for a man who already lacks a sense of direction; the more he moves through the maze, the more lost he becomes. As Connor turns one of many corners that he has faced within this place, he finds himself face-to-face with a mirror (big surprise). However, Connor notices immediately that something is wrong with this particular reflection, especially after staring at his own reflection in various angles for some time. For some reason, Gaspard is not being reflected in this particular mirror; only Connor's reflection remains. As Connor studies the reflection to figure out what's going on, he is horrified to see his own reflection scream as the balloon appears in the reflection, the strings tied around Connor's throat, choking him. Blood drips from the strings as they progressively tighten, cutting through his throat. Bloody coughs turning into wheezes, and then nothing at all... Mirror-Connor drops to the floor, and the balloon, which has an obvious hole, appears to be draining something out of Connor through the hole before growing little button-eyes, a cottony puff on its head and tiny, yellow feet...

The vision is horrifying, and Connor immediately reaches for his neck, finding that he is not being assailed in the real world. The balloon, still tied to his wrist, appears in reality to still be a normal, everyday balloon, despite its lack of reflection. Perhaps this is one of those "parallel universes" that Connor was considering earlier in the House of Mirrors. No matter what the explanation, the vision is incredibly disturbing, and Gaspard seems even more horrified than Connor; this is his beloved trainer, after all. The two don't have very long to think about it, however, as the reflections around them show a pair of scissors flying toward Connor. Indeed, when Connor turns around, it appears that a Drifloon is flying towards Connor as fast as it can go, sharp scissors held within its yellow feet, aiming right for Connor's balloon! How does he react?

As Connor and Gaspard proceeds through the mirror maze, the duo can't help but get themselves lost in a maze filled with tricky reflections and many dead-ends. "Wait, haven't we been here before?" said Connor who faced himself in a dead-end yet again, "I could have sworn I took a left turn back there... let's turn back Gaspa-OW!" he shouted as he banged himself in the mirror for the fourteenth time today. "Geez, not again... gah that still hurts," Connor said as he felt his nose again. Gaspard just stared at the balloon, still feeling unnerved about it.

"You know, this balloon is really something you know? We've already been going around in circles with this thing yet I haven't seen a mirror reflecting it," Connor said as he held the balloon in front of him. "How does this happen? Is it the light? The material? Was this house of mirrors made specifically for this trick? A ghost Pokemon did it? Did that old man mess up with our vision somehow that makes us see balloons now?" Connor asked Gaspard the former shaking his head at the absurdity, "No... all of those sound too absurd, even on my standards!" he added while banging on yet another mirror. Both were grasping their heads due to headache, one was from bashing into another mirror yet again, the other from the many questions Connor had asked. "Owowowow..." "Ai-aipom..." like Pokemon, like trainer they say.

As the duo continued on the maze, they find themselves face-to-face with a mirror. "Oh look Gaspard, another mirror... hmmm?" Connor blinked when he realized something about the mirror. "Hey Gaspard, where's your reflection?" Connor looked down at his partner who just stared at the mirror with his eyes wide. The little monkey just pointed at the mirror with his tail-hand. Connor just looked at the mirror and realizes that he also can see the balloon's reflection now. "Oh look, it's the balloon! Strange that you're not here though. Just how does this place do that?" Connor asked to particularly no one.

What happened next frightened both Pokemon and trainer. The balloon's string was choking his reflection now, with blood drips coming out of him now as the string tightened. His refection coughed and wheezed until the refection drops to the floor, dead. A hole then appears in front of the balloon and appears to be draining something out of the reflection. Connor and Gaspard were too frightened at what they saw, with Connor feeling his neck, releived that it isn't actually happening to him and looked at the balloon on his wrist, which still looked normal for now. Connor felt something else that was strange however. His head ached not because of bashing from too many mirrors but something else. "What else is this I'm feeling... Why am I feeling like this? A memory?" Connor thought as a blurry image somehow flashed through his eyes on an unfamiliar place. "Where is this...?" Connor thought.

It was then that Gaspard tried to get the photographer to get back to his senses, obviously worried about his friend. "Oh sorry, I spaced out just now. Thanks Gaspard." Connor smiled though inwardly was still disturbed by the two images. The two didn't have time to react however, as reflections of a pair of scissors were flying around them and as Connor turned, it turns out that a Drifloon was heading towards Connor with scissors in its hands while heading to the tied balloon! Gaspard didn't wait for his trainer's orders and attempted to be a Thief and steal the scissors from it then tries to attack it with two Pursuits.

takkupanda- Marcelo, noting the Yamask's sadness, decides to ask her what's wrong and inquire as to her ability to speak human language. It seems like a reasonable thing to ask; after all, based on the description that Marcelo's Pokedex provided, this creature was once a living human being. The little Yamask does not answer right away; she seems distracted and delighted by the fact that Broly and Marcelo are willing to let her pet the puppy, and she does so awkwardly, but gently. The mask turns upward at Broly, and the mouth of the mask begins to move: "Puppy! I love you, puppy!" The Yamask's Pokemon face than lets out a small giggle. She seems quite content to be with the dog, and trusts both Broly and his trainer with a strangely childlike innocence. After spending a short time petting Broly across the head and back, the human-faced mask once again decides to speak, only this time to Marcelo.

"I can't forget stuff. I try real hard, but nope." Tears well up in the Yamask's red eyes as the mask, in contrast, speaks in a cheerful tone, with the joyful expression of the mask unchanged. "Mama Coffee helps sometimes. We all play games. You wanna see?" She points towards the faraway Mantine Mania station. "That's where I live, with the others. Oh, don't tell anyone I talked to you. Mama Coffee says we speak Yamask now." The Yamask shudders. "I don't like it. I have a face! A person face! I have a name too, but I'm not s'pos'ta say it!" The mask appears to be shouting, and though the tone and expression of the mask's voice is carefree, the Yamask face appears to be in an unreal amount of pain. The Yamask balls her fists up, seemingly overcome with rage and sadness, before she seems to calm herself by distracting herself with Broly again. "Fuzzy pup-py, fuzzy pup-py~" she sings, patting him on the head. She then says to Broly, "You and your owner need'a see where I live! Last one there's a rotten Exeggcute!" The Yamask begins floating toward the station she previously indicated as "home". Broly charges off after her, and Marcelo is forced to follow.

The trio run along the tracks for a while before coming to the Mantine Mania station. The delapidated station is completely boarded up, and the place is surrounded by an incredibly sinister aura. The giant Mantine depicted on top of the station has the same glassy-eyed look as the one in the billboard Marcelo saw earlier, and it seems to have the same eerie quality that makes Marcelo feel as if he is being watched. The Yamask shouts something in Yamask language, which emanates from the dark Pokemon head, and while Marcelo does not understand what is being said, Broly seems to get the idea that Yamask is asking a question to someone inside, and punctuates the end of Yamask's shout with a cheerful bark. In response to the two Pokemon, one of the boards comes loose, and Yamask floats toward the opening. It appears to be just large enough for Marcelo to crawl through with some effort. She makes a motion for Marcelo and Broly to follow her inside this strange and creepy-looking place. Will the two agree to follow her in, or will they take a different course of action?

As Marcelo waited for the Yamask to answer, he noticed that she was too busy petting Broly. Broly liked it too as she gently stroked his fur. Then, the mask spoke: "Puppy! I love you, Puppy!" and Marcelo was shocked for a moment as he hadn't expected the Pokemon's mouth to be there. She continued to pet Broly innocently.

Then, she turned toward Marcelo and spoke to him, but it did not quite make much sense. It seemed as if the Pokemon had the memory from the past and the mask was referring to her memories from the previous life. It was as if the Pokemon and the mask were two different beings. They reflected completely contrasting expressions. It was as if the mask had not grown or remembered what happened after her death, whereas the Pokemon did, and the experience must have been traumatic.. and that was probably what it was crying about! Marcelo shuddered briefly as he watched the mask speak about her home and how she is treated there. He felt pity for the poor little Pokemon. Broly, on the other hand, was enjoying all the attention he was getting and didn't bother to pay attention to what she was saying and how strange it felt!

Then, suddenly, the mask joyously invited the two over to her home and set off in the direction of the Mantine Mania station. Broly gaily followed and Marcelo had to follow. They came up to the Mantine Mania station, a place that looked closed for a while now with boards everywhere. There was a gigantic Mantine again which had similar eyes as the one they saw before and Marcelo felt really uncomfortable once again.

The Yamask then exclaimed something that sounded as if it was in the Yamask language, this time the sound coming from the head as Marcelo had previously expected. He was now more than sure about his theory about the split personalities that Yamasks had. Broly joyously barked at the end of whatever the Yamask said. One of the boards came loose and opened up a gap that was just big enough for Marcelo to fit in. The Yamask then invited the two inside with a weird gesture and went inside. Broly started happily following her when Marcelo stopped Broly and whispered, "Hey, are you sure about this? This place looks really creepy! There is no place around where we can run if we get into trouble..." But Broly knew what he was doing. He nodded and rubbed his cheek on Marcelo's thigh as if to encourage him. "Okay... let's go" Marcelo said hesitantly after a moment of thought and the two followed the Yamask through the opening.

Sweet berries ready for two. Ghosts are no different than you.

Treeko's Awesomeness- TA's position in the negotiations is that of indifference, stating that he will take whichever Pokeball the other two trainers don't want. Though not a very assertive position, it is one that facilitates the decision-making process for the other two trainers, who appear slightly more opinionated in terms of which Pokeball would be best for them. Hyrem and Tuner each decide on their respective pokeballs, leaving TA with the only one left: "Fly". TA is the last one to receive his companion, with the other two trainers already inspecting their pokeballs a short distance away from the kiosk. The Mantine chuckles softly as he approaches to pick up his pokeball, and mutters, so that only TA can hear, "Seems as if your path was decided for you, huh? How appropriate, floating wherever the wind may take you..." The Mantine looks at the Pokeball in TA's hand. "You two will get along, I think." With that statement, Mantine closes the curtain of the kiosk, and the lights grow dim again. With all three trainers having received their own companion, they say their goodbyes to one another and wish each other luck as they each split up to pursue their own path.

For TA, the path leads to a Mantine whose fins are shaped like airplane wings; "MANTINE AIRLINES" is painted on the side of the flyer, and the little Remoraid attached to one of the Mantine's "wings" is painted to look like it is wearing a pilot outfit. TA opens the door to the mechaMantine flyer, which appears to have been recently repainted and refreshed, though it is unclear as to who would provide such services. A sign above the mechaMantine encourages trainers to recall their Pokemon, assuring that it is for the Pokemon's safety and that companions can be called out soon after the ride departs. After recalling Treecko, TA steps in, closes the door behind him and sits down, inspecting the Pokeball he has recently received. It appears as if the "Fly" label on the Pokeball peels back to reveal a note:

I honestly did not expect this little one to survive. That she would make it at all, let alone be the only one to make it out alive from this section, is almost inconceivable. Clinging to a broken, burning Mantine that somehow managed to make its way back to the boarding dock, she managed to float into my arms before the fire spread to where she clang. Perhaps it is not a strong offense that allows one to survive, or the ability to swiftly fly away from danger, but the ability to Endure all attacks that come one's way. Barely clinging to life when I found her, she has since been nursed back to health. Before her ordeal, children loved being in the fly car with her; not only was she an adorable Pokemon, but the wonder and joy with which she regarded the other flying-type Pokemon around her rivaled that of the children, making her a perfect ridemate. Even now, she longs to fly just as much as you do; let her be your eyes, and she will lift you above danger.

As TA reads the message on his Pokeball, the mechaMantine slowly begins moving forward through a tunnel with a series of paintings depicting a cartoon Mantine swimming in the water, than surfacing, than taking off in the air like a bird. At the end of the tunnel, the Mantine lifts into the air; the clear bottom of the mechaMantine, which previously gave TA a view of the floor, now shows what appears to be an indoor forest of trees and small waterways in the dim light. The light sources, which used to provide sunlight-esque luminescence for this part of the ride, are mostly broken, with only a few lights seeming to work in this area. With most of the ride plunged in darkness, it's hard to tell what might be out there in terms of Pokemon, though the whole place is eerily quiet.

A light comes on, indicating that TA can now call out a companion if he chooses. Now may be a good time for TA to call out his new companion, or choose to call out one of his other Pokemon (that meets the height and weight requirements, of course). Which will he choose?

Tuner89- After giving the decision some thought, Tuner ultimately decides that he wants the Pokemon in the "Surf" Pokeball. The decision is one that implies a great deal of caution; after all, he would be completely dependent on this Pokemon were anything to go wrong in air or underneath the water, and things could very easily go wrong in either environment if the mechaMantine were to fail. With the surf ride, however, he would not have to worry as much about crashing from a great height or drowning in the water; thus, his dependence on the Pokemon would not be as great, provided he could swim to shore should he topple out of the Mantine boat. Though Hyrem is the first to try to claim this path, and the companion that goes along with it, Tuner mentions that he would like Surf as well, though he indicates his willingness to take what others do not want. With Hyrem's decison to take Dive instead, Tuner's first choice becomes his destiny.

Tuner is the second to take his Pokeball, right after Hyrem. The Mantine smiles gently as Tuner picks up his Pokeball, and whispers to him; "A safe choice, you think? One could never be too cautious in this place, after all..." Tuner steps back to let TA take his Pokeball, after which the Mantine closes the curtain to the kiosk, the lights behind the curtain becoming dim once again. With all three trainers having received their own companion, they say their goodbyes to one another and wish each other luck as they each split up to pursue their own path.

For Tuner, the path leads to a chubby-looking Mantine, who floats on the surface of the water. Unlike the fly and dive rides which have clear, enclosed ceilings, the surf ride has an open top, exposing the trainer to the air and allowing Pokemon to jump on and off the boat. "S.S. Mantine" is painted on the side of the boat, and the little Remoraid attached to one of the Mantine's "wings" is painted to look like it is wearing a pirate outfit. Tuner opens the door to the mechaMantine boat, which appears to have been recently repainted and refreshed, though it is unclear as to who would provide such services. A sign above the mechaMantine encourages trainers to recall their Pokemon, assuring that it is for the Pokemon's safety and that companions can be called out soon after the ride departs. After recalling Reaper, Tuner steps in, closes the door behind him and sits down, inspecting the Pokeball he has recently received. It appears as if the "Surf" label on the Pokeball peels back to reveal a note:

This little one crawled through the "Surf" tunnel, sopping wet and nearly out of breath. They had taught him how to surf so that he may entertain the children with adorable antics alongside the Mantine boat. I imagine that skill, along with the ability to Charm those who might attack him, were the keys to his survival. A long time ago, he loved the water, and enjoyed playfully splashing the children before jumping on them, giving them a big, wet hug. Always the cautious one, he avoids the water now, but he will jump back in at the drop of the hat if it means saving a trainer or Pokemon.

As Tuner reads the message on his Pokeball, the mechaMantine slowly begins floating forward through a tunnel, which shows a series of paintings depicting a cartoon Mantine swimming on the surface of the water before a Gyarados roars up from beneath the surface and directly in the Mantine's path; the Mantine waves happily with its fin at the Gyarados, and the Gyarados smiles and waves back with its tail. At the end of the tunnel is a waterway, surrounded on both sides by forest. The glass-bottom boat is illuminated at the bottom, but thus far, the waters seem calm and empty. The light sources, which used to provide sunlight-esque luminescence for the area above water, are mostly broken, with only a few lights seeming to work. With most of the ride plunged in darkness, it's hard to tell what might be out there in terms of Pokemon, though the whole place is eerily quiet.

A light comes on, indicating that Tuner can now call out a companion if he chooses. Now may be a good time for Tuner to call out his new companion, or choose to call out one of his other Pokemon (that meets the height and weight requirements, of course). Which will he choose?

Dark Searchman- If the others don't have a problem with your characterization of them, then I have no problem with it.

Hyrem is the first to state what he wants; in his mind, going for the "Surf" Pokeball meant that all kinds of Pokemon could be waiting for him, both in the ride and in the Pokeball. After all, the types of Pokemon that learn Surf are more diverse than those who learn Fly or Dive, and the possibility of getting a Dratini or Horsea is especially appealing. Tuner also indicates that he wants the Surf Pokeball, which causes Hyrem to reconsider his choice. Unlike Tuner, who sees Surf as the safest option, Hyrem sees the flume-like drops and open-air car of the Mantine as potential dangers, and reconsiders his choice. In fact, the idea of falling to one's death in general seems to disconcert Hyrem. Deciding on the Dive option, his choice not only allows for Tuner to get his first choice, but also seals the deal for everyone.

Hyrem is the first to receive his Pokeball, and Mantine's words for the trainer are short, yet ominous; "Be careful," is all she says. Suddenly, Hyrem's choice is sounding far less safe than before. Hyrem steps back to let Tuner and TA take their Pokeballs, after which the Mantine closes the curtain to the kiosk, the lights behind the curtain becoming dim once again. With all three trainers having received their own companion, they say their goodbyes to one another and wish each other luck as they each split up to pursue their own path.

For Hyrem, the path leads to a positively plump-looking Mantine submerged beneath the water, with a little periscope above the surface coming out of its head. Atop the periscope, a Remoraid with a sea captain's outfit is depicted as looking out at the world with its own handheld telescope. Hyrem walks across a small plank which leads to an open door atop the mechaMantine submarine, which appears to have been recently repainted and refreshed, though it is unclear as to who would provide such services. Hyrem steps in, closes the door behind him and sits down, inspecting the Pokeball he has recently received. It appears as if the "Dive" label on the Pokeball peels back to reveal something strange:

DECEASED
???

Well, that's a little odd... The standard-issue "deceased" label appears on this Pokeball for Pokemon who have passed away, but it appears to have been etched out, with question marks etched beneath it. What could it mean? Did this Pokemon die... or did it come so close to death that it was presumed dead? This Pokeball in particular seems shrouded in mystery.

As Hyrem thinks about the strange writing on his Pokeball, the mechaMantine slowly begins moving forward through a water-filled with a series of paintings depicting a cartoon Mantine swimming beneath the water, eventually coming across a treasure chest full of delicious-looking poffins, which appears to please the cartoon Mantine greatly. the Mantine eventually "swims" into open water, with its eyes becoming headlights to illuminate the dark, inky water. All sides of this Mantine are covered with large, clear windows, allowing for Hyrem to look into the water from every direction from the relative safety of the ride. Thus far, in the eerie quiet of the deep, there appears to be no Pokemon or creatures of any kind.
A light comes on, indicating that Hyrem can now call out a companion if he chooses. Now may be a good time for Hyrem to call out his new companion, or choose to call out one of his other Pokemon (that meets the height and weight requirements, of course). Which will he choose?

gmoyes- Clone Alex orders Alex to perform Agility; however, recognizing that Agility would be a wasted move considering the simplified battle mechanics of the pixelated video game world, Alex decides to disobey in favor of Conversion. Trying his best to work with what knowledge he already has of Porygon as a species, he tries to think of all things psychic, hoping that a psychic conversion will help power up his psybeam. A message appears that ALEX is disobeying orders, and is using CONVERSION instead. Of course, Alex's plan is marred by one little oversight; despite all of his psychic-oriented thoughts, Alex finds himself feeling heavy, solid and... well, rock-like. He completely forgot that in Red Version, conversion works to convert one's type to that of the enemy's! Ultimately, however, this mistake works in Alex's favor, as Geodude's Tackle ends up being not very effective. Clone Alex tries ordering another Agility, which Alex again ignores, favoring Psybeam. Despite not having STAB, the move is able to play on Geodude's low special stat, doing a respectable amount of damage. Geodude responds with Rock Throw; once again, Alex's previous conversion makes the move ineffective, and though his bar has shown slight decreases from Geodude's attacks, Alex finds himself feeling no pain; perhaps it is a result of being in a video game, or the particular Pokemon into which he was transformed.. Finally, Clone Alex and Alex seem to agree; another Psybeam is in order. Alex awaits Geodude's next attack, which, most likely, will be completely ineffective... Instead of attacking, however, Geodude's sprite seems to fade in and out for a moment, the text beneath him appearing garbled. Is something going wrong in the game..? The strange glitch fades quickly, however, and the words "GEODUDE's defense rose" appear in normal working order, implying that the glitched move was a useless Defense Curl. With Geodude in the red, and the game functioning normally again, Clone Alex throws the sprite of a Pokeball at Geodude, as a message indicating that a GREAT BALL has been used appears in front of the trainer and his "Pokemon". The pair watch as the pixelated Pokeball wiggles once... twice... thrice... the black and white Pokeball turns brown and tan, indicating that Geodude has officially been caught by clone Alex. When prompted for a nickname for his newly-caught Geodude, clone Alex quickly indicates "NO"; since no message pops up indicating Geodude's departure to the PC, it seems as if it will be joining the party from now on. The battle was surprisingly short, but this is the video game world, after all. A message appears in front of Alex; "Great job, ALEX! We're gonna need to work on your obedience, though..." An eerie chuckle echoes throughout the pixellated world. Apparently, his disobedience is not going unnoticed...

Alex and clone Alex emerge from Rock Tunnel onto a very short route; jaunty music plays as clone Alex intentionally avoids trainers on his way to a familiar town. Alex recognizes the town from its small size and strange-looking tower, but most of all, from the music... In sharp contrast to the happy, upbeat tunes common in Pokemon, this town is haunted by an eerie, tinny melody that sounds like the video game version of a funeral dirge. No doubt about it; clone Alex has entered Lavender Town. The music is even more creepy than Alex remembers, and something about it makes him want to claw his ears out... Of course, he has no hands with which to claw, or ears to claw out. Even so, something about the music echoes within his pixelated body; it is as if the music brings feeling back to his currently computer-generated, emotionless, nerve-free existance, and all of those feelings are downright awful and terrifying.

Clone Alex makes a quick trip to the Pokemon Center to heal Alex and the new Geodude. Alex is relieved to escape the music for a moment, surrounded by a familiar melody. Clone Alex returns Alex to his Pokeball for a quick moment; oddly, though Alex can hear the familiar sounds around him of the Pokemon Center agreeing to "heal all Alex's Pokemon to perfect health," he feels nothing at all. Alex is finally called out again after the healing process, though he feels no better or worse than before. After finally freeing himself from the circular, repeated press-A-one-too-many-times trap with the resident Nurse Joy, who seems convinced that clone Alex urgently needs to heal his Pokemon two seconds after retrieving them from the healing machine, clone Alex leaves the center with Alex and heads for Lavender Tower. On the way, Clone Alex stops to have a conversation with a little girl standing by the tower. She asks him, "Do you believe in ghosts?" Clone Alex responds with "NO," and the little girl says, "Haha, I guess not. I guess that white hand on your shoulder is just my imagination..." Alex instinctively looks at Clone Alex's shoulder, but sees nothing there. All the while, the Lavender Town music blares at full volume, its eerie effects overcoming Alex once again. Everything within Alex is telling him to run and try to make a break for it, though he would be completely breaking the rules of the game were he to do so, which may anger the spirit who sent him here. Even so, nothing good could come from entering that tower...

How will Alex respond?

Balmund- It appears as if Balmund's mind is made up. Letting the spirits of the Island determine his fate, Balmund heads for the frontmost row of the Rollerquaza, but not before kissing the Pokeball of his most beloved Pokemon. Whether that kiss represents luck or a final goodbye will be determined by events yet woven into the fabric of time...

As Balmund sits down, the sound of footsteps catches his ear. The sound seems to be coming from the direction of the line, and seems to be approaching the ride rapidly. A man with a fairly musclar build who appears to be in his late 30s or so approaches Balmund with a big, black backpack dangling from his shoulder, his eyes narrow and determined. The man sits next to Balmund quickly and without hesitation, placing the backpack down in front of himself. Balmund can see that the man's arms are covered in Team Rocket themed tattoos, which appear old and faded. His tattered leather jacket seems to be full of faded areas and rips where patches and buttons used to be sewn on, which presumably advertised aspects of himself that were less than savory. A smattering of scars hint at a violent past, and up close, Balmund can see that the look in the man's eyes is incredibly intense. The overall aura of the man screams "trouble," though at such a short distance away, Balmund notices a strange bit of jewelry dangling from the man's throat; a necklace meant for a little girl, which fits like a choker around the man's neck, has a pink half-heart charm with the word "BEST" written on it in blue letters, with a tiny picture of Minun's head underneath. The necklace looks very out of place with the rest of the man's outfit and demeanor.

The Rayquaza mascot wordlessly points to the backpack with his finger, as if informing the man that he cannot bring the backpack on the ride with him; the man responds with a gesture of his own, involving a middle finger being pointed at the air. The mascot stares at the man for a seemingly long moment before shrugging its shoulders and pressing the button that lowers the safety harnesses onto both men. The punk-looking man clings to the backpack, and mutters something to himself before the ride slowly lurches forward. From the little snippets Balmund can understand, it sounds like a prayer, but not one that Balmund recognizes.

The ride starts off slow; there appears to be an indoor portion of the ride, where the ride slowly glides by adorable animatronic Dratini, Horsea and Swablu, which are depicted as laughing and playing in a cloud-like atmosphere. Though the tracks appear to extend for at least twenty more feet of saccharine dragon-type adorableness, the floor suddenly opens up, revealing that the Rayquaza head is actually inches away the first major drop! The man next to Balmund chuckles darkly, muttering, "Here we go." Within seconds, the ride is dropping and rising, looping and twisting, powering its way through sharp turns and plunging with a force that leaves Balmund feeling like his heart is beating in his mouth. Images and animatronic depictions of dragon-type Pokemon whizz by in a flash, with fully evolved dragon-types always seeming to be an indicator of a major drop or death-defying loop. Finally, the ride seems to slow down, allowing both men to catch their breath; of course, it isn't long before they realize that the ride is only slowing to prepare for the gravity-defying descent to the most infamous and terrifying point of the Rollerquaza; the top that seems to scrape the heavens looms above the pair, as the ride's near-vertical ascent inspires incredible amounts of fear and anticipation.
The man beside Balmund provides a simple introduction with a deep, gravelly voice: "The name's William. Guess y'can call me Will." Mimicking formal speech in a sarcastically sophisticated voice, he says, "With whom do I have the pleasure of dying today?" He laughs harshly after asking the question. Even so, despite the man's tough exterior, the man's knuckles whiten as he grips the backpack with unnecessary force, his formerly determined eyes waivering in their gaze. How does Balmund react?

Shadowshocker- Dahlia decides to take the lead for this particular battle. In response to Shadow expressing concern, she admonishes him with a stern peck on the ear, not only for doubting her, but for mentioning the dubious Halloween incident. The Chandelure bows to Dahlia as a respectful, honorable beginning to their battle; in contrast, Dahlia simply glares menacingly at her opponent. The fight begins quickly, with Dahlia calling up an Ominous Wind in hopes of not only damaging her opponent, but strengthing her own abilities. The wind hits Chandelure hard, knocking it back and causing his lights to flicker somewhat. It appears that Dahlia has gained a confidence boost from the attack, as well; she appears somewhat stronger than before. Despite the kickback of Dahlia's stellar attack, Chandelure easily picks himself back up; his candles flare, releasing a Smog into the air. Dahlia tries using this moment to respond with Air Cutter; though the attack blows away some of the smog and damages Chandelure somewhat, the after-effects of smog exposure seem to be effecting Dahlia rather strongly; she coughs and sputters, and looks a little sick... Maybe even poisoned. To make matters worse, Chandelure's eyes emit a blinding Confuse Ray straight towards Dahlia, causing the poor bird Pokemon to see little versions of herself flying around her head. The disorienting light transform's Dahlia's Drill Peck into the poor bird flying into a wall, with a rather sickening splat. Dahlia is able to pull herself off the wall, but she coughs a bit, as if affected by the poison. She still seems dazed by the Confuse Ray's blinding light. A bit of luck comes Dahlia's way as Chandelure is so amused by the bird smacking into the wall that he loses his opportunity to follow-up with a devestating attack, instead spending the time chuckling in spite of himself. The laughter enrages the humiliated Dahlia, whose feathers are sticking on end, tingling with anger. Shadow suspects that if she is able to overcome her disorientation, she could easily pull off a very powerful, rage-motivated attack soon.

Dahlia seems a bit worse for the wear than Chandelure at this point in the battle, though as they say, it ain't over 'til it's over. What will Shadow do?

uhhhhh- Gaspard is quick to assess the Drifloon as a threat to his trainer's safety, and without waiting for orders, he attempts to steal the scissors away from Drifloon with Thief. A sharp SNIP rings through the air the second before the Aipom is able to snatch the scissors away from Drifloon using his flexible tail. Though the scissors have closed, Aipom is happy to see that the purple balloon is still in tact. The scissors graze the Drifloon as Aipom rips them out of its yellow-tipped appendages, doing some decent damage. Drifloon cries out in pain and glares angrily at the interfering purple monkey, inflating itself with a Stockpile of energy. Looking at the aftermath of Drifloon's scissor attack, it seems as if the Drifloon was not aiming for the balloon itself, but for its strings; as the the black strings fall away from Connor's balloon, the now stringless balloon head floats up towards the ceiling. The strings, which are still tied around Connor's wrist, flail and constrict as if they were freshly-severed limbs; though they threaten to cut off Connor's circulation with each thrash and flail, they ultimately fall limp from his wrist. Connor wonders why the Drifloon would do such a thing, and what its intentions might be... Certainly, its intentions right now are to defend itself from Gaspard, who is interfering with whatever the Drifloon was trying to do.

Sensing Drifloon's anger, Gaspard remains on the offensive; the scissors still tightly gripped by Gaspard's tail, he goes in hot Pursuit of Drifloon, who is distracted by the stockpile attack; the sneak-attack works perfectly, with super-effective damage crippling the balloon Pokemon. Unfortunately for Gaspard, his pursuit attack left him close and in perfect range for Drifloon's Payback, which seems to hit Gaspard right in the weak spot; the monkey howls in pain, but rallies back, trying to use the mirrors to his advantage in order to set up another sneaky Pursuit. Though Drifloon is able to anticipate the attack this time and attempt to dodge, Gaspard is still able to land a decent hit. Hurting badly, the Drifloon Swallows the stockpiled air, making Driloon appear less deflated and more healthy, though still significantly damaged. While catching its breath, it looks up at the floating, stringless balloon for a moment, visibly concerned... It is difficult to tell whether the balloon Pokemon is concerned for Connor or for the balloon itself.

Connor has a big decision to make. He can either ask Gaspard to back off and try to better understand the Drifloon's intentions, or he can continue the offensive. Both choices carry significant potential risks, depending on the truth behind Drifloon's attack. What will Connor do?

takkupanda- Broly seems more than happy to follow the little Yamask into the seemingly abandoned Mantine Mania Station; Marcelo, on the other hand, is hesitant. After all, where would they go if something went wrong? Not only that, the likelihood of something going wrong in a haunted place like this seems rather high. Marcelo stops Broly and whispers his concerns to the fiery canine. Though Broly cannot respond in words, a nod followed by a soft nuzzle to the leg seems to be his way of saying, "Don't worry; everything will be okay." Marcelo thinks for a moment, but ultimately decides to place his trust in his Pokemon, agreeing to enter the station with Broly.

Broly is first to jump through the small opening, and is able to enter with no problems. Marcelo, on the other hand, struggles a bit to contort himself in such a way that he would be able to fit through; the experience involves some awkward angles and moments of feeling stuck, but ultimately, Marcelo is able to force his way in and tumble through the opening, which is promptly shut behind them by their Yamask friend. After dusting himself off and checking to make sure that Broly is alright, Marcelo takes a look at his surroundings. Though the trappings of a train station peak through every now and then, the place appears to have been remodeled considerably; a small kitchen and dining area with a plate of berries on the table has been included, with a long row of tiny chairs, presumably for tiny people. The alphabet is painted on the ceiling, though only the letters A, K, M, S and Y are represented. The main lobby of the train station appears to have been converted into a playroom, though the "children" there are certainly unique; two Yamask with masks shaped like the faces of little boys play with retro Golurk action figures, making laser noises and simulating explosions with their imaginations. A Yamask with the mask of a toddler girl hugs an old, tattered stuffed Buneary as the mask hums to itself. A Yamask with the face of an elementary schoolgirl tries to play hopscotch, though it appears that she and her other Yamask friends are trying to figure out how to stop floating and then, once that's accomplished, how to "hop" with their ghostly bodies. One seems to be doing an odd sort of flop where they use their arms to lift themselves up and then plop down on the next square. Though not a very effective hopscotch method, the girls appear to be laughing, both with their masks and with their Pokemon heads.A Yamask with a carton of berry juice approaches Broly and pats him on the head. It coos in Yamask language, a big smile on his elementary schoolboy mask. Overall, despite the clearly ominous exterior of the building, the interior feels decidedly less frightening, though the feeling that pervades here is heavy and confusing. It is hard to tell whether this is a place of happiness or sadness... Perhaps a mixture of both.

In the distance, you hear what sounds like a lullaby in a strange language: Cofa-coooof, cofa-coooof, cofagriiigus cof-cof-fa, gri-gi-guuus, gri-gi-guus, cofagri-gri-gus, cof-cof. Broly seems to want to investigate the lullaby, wasting no time bounding towards it. Marcelo follows, too, and finds a Cofagrigous in the former ticket booth using its upper pair of arms to rock a small Yamask with the mask of an infant to sleep. The room is lined with cradles; oddly enough, though the masks of the infants appear to be sound asleep, the Yamask faces themselves are wide awake, staring blankly at the ceiling... The Cofagrigus rocking the "baby" notices Marcelo immediately, and puts a free arm up to its mouth, as if to indicate the need to be quiet. It places the baby into an empty crib, and floats toward a door labeled "STORAGE". It opens the door and encourages Marcelo and Broly to follow it; inside are two small chairs separated by a wooden table, presumably acting as a small office space. The Cofagrigus ushers Marcelo and Broly inside, and closes the door behind them. It is then that the medallion on the Cofagrigus' "coffin" body speaks, in a calm, professional female voice. "You can call me Mama Coffee. I run the Afterlife Services here at Mantine Mania. I was wondering if you and your Growlithe might be able to help me with a few things..." She chuckles a bit. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm supposing you would like a tour of our facilities. It is a rather strange place, to be sure... a rare sight for the living..." The Cofagrigus' medallion face smiles serenely, though the Pokemon face seems permanently stuck in the trademark, horrific grin so often associated with the species. "...or would you like to get right down to business?"

Dark Searchman- If the others don't have a problem with your characterization of them, then I have no problem with it.

Hyrem is the first to state what he wants; in his mind, going for the "Surf" Pokeball meant that all kinds of Pokemon could be waiting for him, both in the ride and in the Pokeball. After all, the types of Pokemon that learn Surf are more diverse than those who learn Fly or Dive, and the possibility of getting a Dratini or Horsea is especially appealing. Tuner also indicates that he wants the Surf Pokeball, which causes Hyrem to reconsider his choice. Unlike Tuner, who sees Surf as the safest option, Hyrem sees the flume-like drops and open-air car of the Mantine as potential dangers, and reconsiders his choice. In fact, the idea of falling to one's death in general seems to disconcert Hyrem. Deciding on the Dive option, his choice not only allows for Tuner to get his first choice, but also seals the deal for everyone.

Hyrem is the first to receive his Pokeball, and Mantine's words for the trainer are short, yet ominous; "Be careful," is all she says. Suddenly, Hyrem's choice is sounding far less safe than before. Hyrem steps back to let Tuner and TA take their Pokeballs, after which the Mantine closes the curtain to the kiosk, the lights behind the curtain becoming dim once again. With all three trainers having received their own companion, they say their goodbyes to one another and wish each other luck as they each split up to pursue their own path.

For Hyrem, the path leads to a positively plump-looking Mantine submerged beneath the water, with a little periscope above the surface coming out of its head. Atop the periscope, a Remoraid with a sea captain's outfit is depicted as looking out at the world with its own handheld telescope. Hyrem walks across a small plank which leads to an open door atop the mechaMantine submarine, which appears to have been recently repainted and refreshed, though it is unclear as to who would provide such services. Hyrem steps in, closes the door behind him and sits down, inspecting the Pokeball he has recently received. It appears as if the "Dive" label on the Pokeball peels back to reveal something strange:

DECEASED
???

Well, that's a little odd... The standard-issue "deceased" label appears on this Pokeball for Pokemon who have passed away, but it appears to have been etched out, with question marks etched beneath it. What could it mean? Did this Pokemon die... or did it come so close to death that it was presumed dead? This Pokeball in particular seems shrouded in mystery.

As Hyrem thinks about the strange writing on his Pokeball, the mechaMantine slowly begins moving forward through a water-filled with a series of paintings depicting a cartoon Mantine swimming beneath the water, eventually coming across a treasure chest full of delicious-looking poffins, which appears to please the cartoon Mantine greatly. the Mantine eventually "swims" into open water, with its eyes becoming headlights to illuminate the dark, inky water. All sides of this Mantine are covered with large, clear windows, allowing for Hyrem to look into the water from every direction from the relative safety of the ride. Thus far, in the eerie quiet of the deep, there appears to be no Pokemon or creatures of any kind.
A light comes on, indicating that Hyrem can now call out a companion if he chooses. Now may be a good time for Hyrem to call out his new companion, or choose to call out one of his other Pokemon (that meets the height and weight requirements, of course). Which will he choose?

When Hyrem stepped up to take his Pokeball, the Mantine simply says, "Be careful." Hearing that from Sera was the norm for him, but after the mascot told him that... Sera may have been on to something here, and big time. At least it's better than a high-speed ride to your doom, he thought. Or was it? There was no telling what could be down there; this was a run-down amusement park, after all.

Once Tuner and T.A. finished grabbing their Pokeballs, the Mantine, then the kiosk, disappeared back into the darkness, the lights becoming dim once again, leaving the trainers with one thing on their mind: what could possibly await them on their ride? They wish each other good luck, and they go their individual paths, Hyrem's leading to a submarine in the form of a bloated Mantine. The Remoraid with the sea captain's outfit on the periscope was cute, but again, it certainly wasn't about to brighten the mood around here. As Hyrem walked up to the door on top of the submarine, it looked like maintenance was done on it recently. Hyrem didn't really want to know who--or what--was keeping it up, and frankly, I wouldn't either. All he cared about was having a good time and getting the job done... and finding out just what his partner for this journey would be. It certainly took him back to when he started his journey and didn't know about Sera until he arrived on the port that fateful day. There was meaning behind the mystery to Hyrem, and perhaps this adventure and this new Pokemon would match his beginning experience.

However, when Hyrem entered the submarine and closed the door, he inspected his Pokeball. Out of curiosity, he peeled the label from the Pokeball and found something a little disturbing:

DECEASED
???

"Deceased?" he said out loud. "But she said these were the Pokemon that came back alive!" And what was with it being crossed out and having questions marks underneath it? How could they not know if this Pokemon was alive or dead? It just didn't make sense at all, and Hyrem was really starting to worry about the whole ride now.

But, the submarine plunged into the water and showed him pictures of a Mantine swimming beneath the water and finding sunken treasure. Well crud, too late to turn back now, he thought. The Mantine submarine had clear windows all over the place allowing Hyrem to see whatever its "eyes" illuminated, which, at the moment, wasn't any Pokemon or other creatures, thankfully. Just water. Everything seemed a little too quiet, but he was grateful for the quiet because it meant he was relatively safe... for now.

A light came on meaning Hyrem was allowed to call out a Pokemon now. Problem was, none of the Pokemon he had in his party would be of any help underwater. He had to rely on the rental that... could be dead, or not dead, or who knows what... "Well, let's get this over with. Come on out... whatever you are," he said out loud and released the Pokeball with the rental Pokemon inside, preparing for the worst.

uhhhhh- Gaspard is quick to assess the Drifloon as a threat to his trainer's safety, and without waiting for orders, he attempts to steal the scissors away from Drifloon with Thief. A sharp SNIP rings through the air the second before the Aipom is able to snatch the scissors away from Drifloon using his flexible tail. Though the scissors have closed, Aipom is happy to see that the purple balloon is still in tact. The scissors graze the Drifloon as Aipom rips them out of its yellow-tipped appendages, doing some decent damage. Drifloon cries out in pain and glares angrily at the interfering purple monkey, inflating itself with a Stockpile of energy. Looking at the aftermath of Drifloon's scissor attack, it seems as if the Drifloon was not aiming for the balloon itself, but for its strings; as the the black strings fall away from Connor's balloon, the now stringless balloon head floats up towards the ceiling. The strings, which are still tied around Connor's wrist, flail and constrict as if they were freshly-severed limbs; though they threaten to cut off Connor's circulation with each thrash and flail, they ultimately fall limp from his wrist. Connor wonders why the Drifloon would do such a thing, and what its intentions might be... Certainly, its intentions right now are to defend itself from Gaspard, who is interfering with whatever the Drifloon was trying to do.

Sensing Drifloon's anger, Gaspard remains on the offensive; the scissors still tightly gripped by Gaspard's tail, he goes in hot Pursuit of Drifloon, who is distracted by the stockpile attack; the sneak-attack works perfectly, with super-effective damage crippling the balloon Pokemon. Unfortunately for Gaspard, his pursuit attack left him close and in perfect range for Drifloon's Payback, which seems to hit Gaspard right in the weak spot; the monkey howls in pain, but rallies back, trying to use the mirrors to his advantage in order to set up another sneaky Pursuit. Though Drifloon is able to anticipate the attack this time and attempt to dodge, Gaspard is still able to land a decent hit. Hurting badly, the Drifloon Swallows the stockpiled air, making Driloon appear less deflated and more healthy, though still significantly damaged. While catching its breath, it looks up at the floating, stringless balloon for a moment, visibly concerned... It is difficult to tell whether the balloon Pokemon is concerned for Connor or for the balloon itself.

Connor has a big decision to make. He can either ask Gaspard to back off and try to better understand the Drifloon's intentions, or he can continue the offensive. Both choices carry significant potential risks, depending on the truth behind Drifloon's attack. What will Connor do?

Connor just recovered from the shock from the Drifloon appearing with the scissors aiming for him, and the two images he saw. He then quickly grabbed his blue Pokedex and pointed it at the balloon Pokemon:

Originally Posted by the Pokedex

Drifloon, the Balloon Pokemon. Because of the way it floats aimlessly, an old folktale calls it a "Signpost for Wandering Spirits."

"Well, can't say I agree on the aimlessly floating part," Connor said to the Pokedex, "But... what's it trying to do? What's up with the scissors?" Connor wondered as managed to steal the scissors from Drifloon. It was then that he noticed that the balloon he was carrying a while ago was now on the ceiling, "Wait, why is the balloon on the ceiling now?" he said as he looked up on the ceiling to see the purple balloon then looked at his wrist to see the string still attached to him. It was then that he finally put two and two together.

"Hold on... maybe he wasn't aiming for me. If so, was he aiming at the balloon?" Connor thought as he noticed something odd about how the Drifloon was moving. "If it was aiming for me and Gaspard, it would be attacking us right now, but... it seems to be defending itself," Connor observed as the Drifloon swallowed its stockpile to recover itself. He looked at Gaspard and it seemed that the purple monkey was ready to attack again. It was then that Connor decided. He wanted to at least ask it it's intentions.

"Gaspard, stop!" he said to his partner who looked back at him with a confused look, "Aipom?!" he said to him. "Hold on, I want to talk to the Drifloon first." Connor said as he walked closer to the balloon Pokemon. "Sorry about that, we were surprised when you suddenly approached us like that! I know that that balloon was pretty strange already by itself," he said as he looked back up at the balloon on the ceiling, "But I'd at least like to know why you were targeting it. Is there something we should know that you'd like to tell us?" he said as he remembered the image of him being killed by a Drifloon a while ago. If that was a prediction, he'd like to believe that the Drifloon in front of him wasn't the one going to kill him and despite Gaspard being told to back down, he still was ready to make a move, just in case the balloon Pokemon tried anything funny.

Balmund- It appears as if Balmund's mind is made up. Letting the spirits of the Island determine his fate, Balmund heads for the frontmost row of the Rollerquaza, but not before kissing the Pokeball of his most beloved Pokemon. Whether that kiss represents luck or a final goodbye will be determined by events yet woven into the fabric of time...

As Balmund sits down, the sound of footsteps catches his ear. The sound seems to be coming from the direction of the line, and seems to be approaching the ride rapidly. A man with a fairly musclar build who appears to be in his late 30s or so approaches Balmund with a big, black backpack dangling from his shoulder, his eyes narrow and determined. The man sits next to Balmund quickly and without hesitation, placing the backpack down in front of himself. Balmund can see that the man's arms are covered in Team Rocket themed tattoos, which appear old and faded. His tattered leather jacket seems to be full of faded areas and rips where patches and buttons used to be sewn on, which presumably advertised aspects of himself that were less than savory. A smattering of scars hint at a violent past, and up close, Balmund can see that the look in the man's eyes is incredibly intense. The overall aura of the man screams "trouble," though at such a short distance away, Balmund notices a strange bit of jewelry dangling from the man's throat; a necklace meant for a little girl, which fits like a choker around the man's neck, has a pink half-heart charm with the word "BEST" written on it in blue letters, with a tiny picture of Minun's head underneath. The necklace looks very out of place with the rest of the man's outfit and demeanor.

The Rayquaza mascot wordlessly points to the backpack with his finger, as if informing the man that he cannot bring the backpack on the ride with him; the man responds with a gesture of his own, involving a middle finger being pointed at the air. The mascot stares at the man for a seemingly long moment before shrugging its shoulders and pressing the button that lowers the safety harnesses onto both men. The punk-looking man clings to the backpack, and mutters something to himself before the ride slowly lurches forward. From the little snippets Balmund can understand, it sounds like a prayer, but not one that Balmund recognizes.

The ride starts off slow; there appears to be an indoor portion of the ride, where the ride slowly glides by adorable animatronic Dratini, Horsea and Swablu, which are depicted as laughing and playing in a cloud-like atmosphere. Though the tracks appear to extend for at least twenty more feet of saccharine dragon-type adorableness, the floor suddenly opens up, revealing that the Rayquaza head is actually inches away the first major drop! The man next to Balmund chuckles darkly, muttering, "Here we go." Within seconds, the ride is dropping and rising, looping and twisting, powering its way through sharp turns and plunging with a force that leaves Balmund feeling like his heart is beating in his mouth. Images and animatronic depictions of dragon-type Pokemon whizz by in a flash, with fully evolved dragon-types always seeming to be an indicator of a major drop or death-defying loop. Finally, the ride seems to slow down, allowing both men to catch their breath; of course, it isn't long before they realize that the ride is only slowing to prepare for the gravity-defying descent to the most infamous and terrifying point of the Rollerquaza; the top that seems to scrape the heavens looms above the pair, as the ride's near-vertical ascent inspires incredible amounts of fear and anticipation.
The man beside Balmund provides a simple introduction with a deep, gravelly voice: "The name's William. Guess y'can call me Will." Mimicking formal speech in a sarcastically sophisticated voice, he says, "With whom do I have the pleasure of dying today?" He laughs harshly after asking the question. Even so, despite the man's tough exterior, the man's knuckles whiten as he grips the backpack with unnecessary force, his formerly determined eyes waivering in their gaze. How does Balmund react?

Taking seat, Balmund hears the rapid footsteps of someone approaching from the line. A man, fairly muscular and apparently in his late 30's, shows up while carrying a big, black backpack hanging form his shoulder, and quietly takes seat right next to Balmund. One could tell by observing his outfit, tattoos and scars that this person probably had a background of violence and crime. Just what kind of things had he seen? Balmund wondered as he was drawn in by his incredibly intense look, which gave him an impression of strength and purpose. He certainly looked dangerous, and while a big part of Balmund was very cautious of him, another felt pure intigue towards him, and moreso as he noticed the out of place charm on the man's neck. Just what was his story and what brought him here of all places? Balmund wasn't one to be too critical of others because fo their appearance and lack of judgement on life desicions; he knew people were more shades of gray than pure black and white, and chances are there was a lot more about this person than what he could gather from this first impression. Whether he would find any answers to that though, was uncertain, but at the very least he was glad to not be completely alone on this ride.

Pointing to the man's backback with its finger, the Rayquaza mascot silently informs the him that luggage is not allowed on this ride, but he only recieves a middle finger in response. The Rayquaza for a long while, and Balmund could only imagine what thought process would be going through behind that mask, if any, until it finally decides to simply shrug and press the button lowering the safety harness on them both. As the ride slowly lurches forward, the man seems to be muttering some sort of prayer while clinging to his backpack, and while Balmund could not recognize it, he silently meditates on the feel of his murmurs as the car glid slowly through the indoor section of the ride, full with adorable animatronic Dratini, Horsea and Swablu. Twenty feet in though, the floor opens up revealing the first vertigo-inducing major drop, to which the man next to Balmund starts chuckling darkly in anticipation; Balmund himself only increasing his breathing more and more on the other hand, but also having a grin plastered on his face as adrenaline pumped into his body. Was it because of some addiction to life-threathening situations or some other form of masochism? Balmund wasn't even sure himself. And then, it started; within seconds the ride is dropping and rising, looping and twisting, and powering through sharp turns with tremendous force; not even riding in the back of a pre-historic Aerodactyl could have prepared him for this. He felt like he wanted to scream, but he couldn't, only clutching to the harness as if his life depended on it and watching wide-eyed as the Rollerquaza did its own thing.

Within moments, the ride slows down, allowing its passengers to catch their breath and prepare themselves mentally as it ascended near vertically to its highest and most infamous point. With growing fear and anticipation, and feeling the pressure of his own weight as the car carried him upwards, Balmund listens as the man now gives a simple introduction, speaking in a sarcastically sophisticated tone, and laughing harshly at his own morbid question. Looking at him for a second, he could see his knuckles whiten as he gripped the backpack with unnecessary force and his gaze now waivering as the they reached the end. Was he intending to die this night? Even if he wasn't, Balmund himself felt like he was comiting suicide right now, but that was something he was already growing to accept.

"The name's Duke." He responded just as simply, letting out a sigh while smiling. "Any regrets?" he asked. It wasn't like he was expecting an answer. In a way, the question was more towards himself than anything. He did have regrets, and many, but all he could do right now was to calmy wait for whatever awaited him up next.

Treeko's Awesomeness- TA's position in the negotiations is that of indifference, stating that he will take whichever Pokeball the other two trainers don't want. Though not a very assertive position, it is one that facilitates the decision-making process for the other two trainers, who appear slightly more opinionated in terms of which Pokeball would be best for them. Hyrem and Tuner each decide on their respective pokeballs, leaving TA with the only one left: "Fly". TA is the last one to receive his companion, with the other two trainers already inspecting their pokeballs a short distance away from the kiosk. The Mantine chuckles softly as he approaches to pick up his pokeball, and mutters, so that only TA can hear, "Seems as if your path was decided for you, huh? How appropriate, floating wherever the wind may take you..." The Mantine looks at the Pokeball in TA's hand. "You two will get along, I think." With that statement, Mantine closes the curtain of the kiosk, and the lights grow dim again. With all three trainers having received their own companion, they say their goodbyes to one another and wish each other luck as they each split up to pursue their own path.

For TA, the path leads to a Mantine whose fins are shaped like airplane wings; "MANTINE AIRLINES" is painted on the side of the flyer, and the little Remoraid attached to one of the Mantine's "wings" is painted to look like it is wearing a pilot outfit. TA opens the door to the mechaMantine flyer, which appears to have been recently repainted and refreshed, though it is unclear as to who would provide such services. A sign above the mechaMantine encourages trainers to recall their Pokemon, assuring that it is for the Pokemon's safety and that companions can be called out soon after the ride departs. After recalling Treecko, TA steps in, closes the door behind him and sits down, inspecting the Pokeball he has recently received. It appears as if the "Fly" label on the Pokeball peels back to reveal a note:

As TA reads the message on his Pokeball, the mechaMantine slowly begins moving forward through a tunnel with a series of paintings depicting a cartoon Mantine swimming in the water, than surfacing, than taking off in the air like a bird. At the end of the tunnel, the Mantine lifts into the air; the clear bottom of the mechaMantine, which previously gave TA a view of the floor, now shows what appears to be an indoor forest of trees and small waterways in the dim light. The light sources, which used to provide sunlight-esque luminescence for this part of the ride, are mostly broken, with only a few lights seeming to work in this area. With most of the ride plunged in darkness, it's hard to tell what might be out there in terms of Pokemon, though the whole place is eerily quiet.

A light comes on, indicating that TA can now call out a companion if he chooses. Now may be a good time for TA to call out his new companion, or choose to call out one of his other Pokemon (that meets the height and weight requirements, of course). Which will he choose?

As TA reached the kiosk after his two companions had already received their partners, the Mantine chuckled. That was odd, considering that it had been acting depressed just a moment ago.

"Seems as if your path was decided for you, huh? How appropriate, floating wherever the wind may take you..." The Mantine's eyes darted towards TA's Pokeball. "You two will get along, I think."

What did she mean by that? Before he could ask, the curtain in between him and the water type flew shut. The lights in the lobby dimmed as the three trainers bid each other adieu. Three Mantine-themed vehicles pulled up onto their respective tracks. Hyrem got into the one that looked like a submarine, and TA got into one that looked like an airplane, leaving Tuner to go last. He noticed a little plastic Remoraid in a pilot's outfit glued to the bottom of the Mantine's wing. It's childish cutesy feel contrasted sharply with the dark, abandoned ride.

"Hey, Nav, do you mind going back into your Pokeball?" he asked. "The rental Pokemon is used to the ride, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"Tree," Nav said. He sounded relieved at the prospect of getting out of the spooky ride. Walking up to his trainer, he tapped his Pokeball and went back inside.

"Alright, then," TA said. He stepped into the "plane" Mantine, and sat down. He picked up the rental ball, and pressed the center button. "Whoever you are, come on out!"

My fan-fic(Credit to Gelatino95 at Crazy Dragon Graphics for the userbar) Author's profile And here's an awesome RPG. It has dinosaurs!And a sprite comic, because I can't draw!

Tuner89- After giving the decision some thought, Tuner ultimately decides that he wants the Pokemon in the "Surf" Pokeball. The decision is one that implies a great deal of caution; after all, he would be completely dependent on this Pokemon were anything to go wrong in air or underneath the water, and things could very easily go wrong in either environment if the mechaMantine were to fail. With the surf ride, however, he would not have to worry as much about crashing from a great height or drowning in the water; thus, his dependence on the Pokemon would not be as great, provided he could swim to shore should he topple out of the Mantine boat. Though Hyrem is the first to try to claim this path, and the companion that goes along with it, Tuner mentions that he would like Surf as well, though he indicates his willingness to take what others do not want. With Hyrem's decison to take Dive instead, Tuner's first choice becomes his destiny.

Tuner is the second to take his Pokeball, right after Hyrem. The Mantine smiles gently as Tuner picks up his Pokeball, and whispers to him; "A safe choice, you think? One could never be too cautious in this place, after all..." Tuner steps back to let TA take his Pokeball, after which the Mantine closes the curtain to the kiosk, the lights behind the curtain becoming dim once again. With all three trainers having received their own companion, they say their goodbyes to one another and wish each other luck as they each split up to pursue their own path.

For Tuner, the path leads to a chubby-looking Mantine, who floats on the surface of the water. Unlike the fly and dive rides which have clear, enclosed ceilings, the surf ride has an open top, exposing the trainer to the air and allowing Pokemon to jump on and off the boat. "S.S. Mantine" is painted on the side of the boat, and the little Remoraid attached to one of the Mantine's "wings" is painted to look like it is wearing a pirate outfit. Tuner opens the door to the mechaMantine boat, which appears to have been recently repainted and refreshed, though it is unclear as to who would provide such services. A sign above the mechaMantine encourages trainers to recall their Pokemon, assuring that it is for the Pokemon's safety and that companions can be called out soon after the ride departs. After recalling Reaper, Tuner steps in, closes the door behind him and sits down, inspecting the Pokeball he has recently received. It appears as if the "Surf" label on the Pokeball peels back to reveal a note:

This little one crawled through the "Surf" tunnel, sopping wet and nearly out of breath. They had taught him how to surf so that he may entertain the children with adorable antics alongside the Mantine boat. I imagine that skill, along with the ability to Charm those who might attack him, were the keys to his survival. A long time ago, he loved the water, and enjoyed playfully splashing the children before jumping on them, giving them a big, wet hug. Always the cautious one, he avoids the water now, but he will jump back in at the drop of the hat if it means saving a trainer or Pokemon.

As Tuner reads the message on his Pokeball, the mechaMantine slowly begins floating forward through a tunnel, which shows a series of paintings depicting a cartoon Mantine swimming on the surface of the water before a Gyarados roars up from beneath the surface and directly in the Mantine's path; the Mantine waves happily with its fin at the Gyarados, and the Gyarados smiles and waves back with its tail. At the end of the tunnel is a waterway, surrounded on both sides by forest. The glass-bottom boat is illuminated at the bottom, but thus far, the waters seem calm and empty. The light sources, which used to provide sunlight-esque luminescence for the area above water, are mostly broken, with only a few lights seeming to work. With most of the ride plunged in darkness, it's hard to tell what might be out there in terms of Pokemon, though the whole place is eerily quiet.

A light comes on, indicating that Tuner can now call out a companion if he chooses. Now may be a good time for Tuner to call out his new companion, or choose to call out one of his other Pokemon (that meets the height and weight requirements, of course). Which will he choose?

Having made his choice, Tuner walks up to the Mantine after Hyrem, and is given the 'Surf' ball. The Mantine leans in and whispers into Tuner's ear as he picks the ball, "A safe choice, you think? One could never be too cautious in this place, after all..."

For some reason, the words send a chill down Tuner's spine. He's never really been afraid of much, especially after spending so much time with Reaper, but the way the Mantine worded its caution did not sit well with him.

Moving along, leaving the lobby with TA and Hyrem, the path split. Saying goodbye to his companions, he took the middle path towards the Surf section of the ride. Suddenly a great deal of responsibility dawned on him. Being in the surf section, if anything happened above or below him, he would be the closest person who could help. Tuner pondered over this for a moment, with Reaper by his side as he made his way down the path. Glancing at his companion, even the Duskull seemed uneasy, which Tuner though was strange. He's never seen Reaper look that way before. This whole ride gave both of them the creeps.

Soon, the two reach their destination, the boat. The boat is open, with a Remoraid on its wing dressed up like a pirate. This cheers Tuner up instantly, he's always liked pirates, and he feels comfortated having the Remoraid accompanying him. The sight of something familiar in so much unknown is welcome. The more he thought about this though, the more that feeling was replaced with more creepiness. He realized that the paint on the entire boat looked fresh, something that did not go along with the stories he's been told about this place. What is going on here? he thought to himself.

Noticing a sign above the ride, Tuner turns to his friend, "Reaper, I think it's best if you stay inside your pokeball for now..."
"Skull!" Reaper jumps at the chance and floats towards Tuner's belt, eager to return to the comfort of his home. Tuner though that behavior was strange, but obliged, and boarded the craft. He takes out the ball he received from the Mantine earlier, examining it. He notices a note attached:

This little one crawled through the "Surf" tunnel, sopping wet and nearly out of breath. They had taught him how to surf so that he may entertain the children with adorable antics alongside the Mantine boat. I imagine that skill, along with the ability to Charm those who might attack him, were the keys to his survival. A long time ago, he loved the water, and enjoyed playfully splashing the children before jumping on them, giving them a big, wet hug. Always the cautious one, he avoids the water now, but he will jump back in at the drop of the hat if it means saving a trainer or Pokemon.

He is glad he recalled Reaper at this point. The ghost might have been too scary for this little one. He is so in-thought about this new companion, he didn't even notice the ride moving. Looking up, he sees a Mantine and a Gyarados painted on the side of the wall, both look happy and cheerful. This creeps Tuner out even more, remembering all the children who used to ride this ride. It was once such a happy place, but now? As the ride exits the tunnel and enters the forest, Tuner decides now's a good time to meet his new friend. Pushing the activate on his pokeball, he awaits what will emerge.

Welcome to Phantom Isle! I will be taking everyone who has yet to receive an update, which leaves me with 3 open slots remaining for now. Before we begin, I'd like to remind you all to have a link to your Fizzy Bubbles profile available every time you post, either in your signature or in the post itself, so that I can access your stats quickly and easily. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy your time here at the Haunted Theme Park... *Evil laugh*

Meetan- The chilly cloak of night which engulfs the Haunted Theme Park is certainly beyond the scope of typical darkness... Indeed, the starry mantle which Haunted Theme Park so proudly wears is thick with foreboding - the presence of spirits makes the air so heavy that it almost chokes the trainers who pass through it. Alice and her adoring Swinub are acutely aware of the nature of their surroundings, sensing doom deep within their bones. Though other trainers run off to either pay their respects or to prove their bravery, Alice seems to always be one step behind them.

The Merry-Go-Round provides feelings of nostalgia for Alice, who approaches the weathered carousel Pokemon and muses that an electric Pokemon might help start up the ride. She also considers the possibility of having Swinub push, though the ride would certainly be too heavy for the cute little pig-nosed Pokemon to push. "I'm thinkin' that won't be necessary," a female voice with a Southern drawl responds from somewhere behind Alice. The whirring of mechanics accompanies the voice; perhaps it belongs to some type of Park Robot, like the talking Trubbish garbage containers that used to be such a hit in the park back in its hayday. Turning around, Alice comes face to face with the glowing red eyes of a Merry-Go-Round Rapidash, which is staring directly at Alice. Its jaw opens and shuts as the voice emanates from its plastic body; "Hop on, ma'am. Y'can bring yer little fuzzball with you. A pretty young thang like you won't weigh much. We can riiiiiide like the wind! YEE-HAW!" The mechanical horse whinnies, though the sound is less like a horse and more like a horrifying screech. In fact, the voice in general is incredibly unnerving, and Alice wonders how the Rapidash is able to address her and Swinub so personally... Perhaps someone was operating the ride from a distance, but who?

"C'mon, darlin', don't be shy." The Rapidash nods its head, as if encouraging Alice to come and take a ride. Will she trust this mechanical fire horse, or will she decide on a different course of action?

When Alice heard the voice, to begin with, she was expecting some plucky young woman to be responsible: perhaps someone from a rural area, like the outside of Olivine City or Floaroma Town, for example. She had jumped, but it turned into a full jolt at the sound of the creaking synthetics, and the nineteen year old whipped round to face a talking false Rapidash. Normally, the rookie was immune to unpleasant sounds like nails on a chalkboard or white noise, but every time it shifted, the girl found it jarring. Swinub shivered. Both were unnerved by the emptiness of its eyes, and equally so by the nature of its offer.

"How are you even talking? Or moving?" She questioned, taking a safe step back. Her legs were only short. Somehow, the fact that the odd thing had noticed her low weight had added to her ego just a tad - Alice was known for her skewed priorities. And like the rest of the ride, the spooky Rapidash was nostalgic, too: its very existence reminded her of Pokemon riding classes, and the voice felt like a throwback to the movie Toy Story. She could be Jessie, riding a fiery, ghostly Bullseye like the wind. "You sound... Broken." She added, unsure of how else to put it.

Lost in a daze, but the music still plays. Are they watching you?

Dark Searchman- Hyrem is finding plenty of reasons to worry now that he has officially begun his Mantine Mania journey. The disturbing discovery behind the "Dive" label, the ominous warning of the Mantine and the eerie aura that surrounds the ride in general all add to the feeling that danger lurks deep within the inky waters through which his mechaMantine travels. It doesn't help any that the companion he was promised by Mantine seems to be a Pokemon that is no more. Berift of life, it rests in peace. If it wasn't in a Pokeball, it'd be pushing up the daisies. It's run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. What on earth is Hyrem going to do with a corpse? Hopefully the label was a mistake, and the Pokemon was just resting, or stunned, or simply pining for the fjords. Either way, Hyrem decides to solve the mystery of his strange Pokeball, and braces himself mentally for a rotting corpse, should one end up emerging.

Fortunately for Hyrem, the smell of death and decay does not emerge from the Pokeball as he activates the white push-button, though the faint smell of seawater plays across his nostrils as the red light forms into the shape of a jellyfish-looking creature. As the red light around the Pokemon fades into an ocean blue, Hyrem comes face-to-face with his new companion, whose red eyes meet Hyrem's with a curious gaze. A blue collar fits loosely around the Pokemon's neck, complete with an adorable little Mantine charm. This must be the rental collar that the Mantine in the kiosk alluded to earlier. After bowing his head in greeting, the ghostly jellyfish moves toward Hyrem and sits down beside him, letting his tentacles droop from the bench as he hums a little song to himself. He seems to be using the humming as a self-soothing mechanism for nervousness, though Hyrem cannot tell if that nervousness is from being shy or as a result of the surroundings he finds himself in... Maybe a little of both. Certainly, this is a strange little being, but thankfully not a lifeless one.

Something seems to catch the Frillish's attention, as his head lowers to face a distant shadow that seems to be moving about beneath the Mantine's clear bottom. It is hard to tell what the shadow might be, though the Frillish visibly shudders at the sight of it. The shadow seems to be growing gradually larger, as more small shadows seem to be appearing around the transparent submarine. Frillish appears absolutely terrified by the movement around him, and curls his tentacles around him, forming a little ball of shaking jelly. His humming is loud and stammered, as if desperately trying to tune something out. As his humming reaches its highest pitch, a nearly unintelligible, low-pitched noise gradually becomes audible to Hyrem's ears. How will Hyrem react?

uhhhhh- Connor thinks about the Drifloon's behavior and comes to the conclusion that the Drifloon does not appear to be actively trying to attack Connor. In fact, the balloon Pokemon's behavior seems to indicate a more defensive stance as a result of being attacked. Based on what he has observed so far, he calls off Gaspard's assault. Gaspard responds with a confused look, as Connor approaches the Drifloon with an apology and an explanation for Gaspard's behavior. After all, being suddenly charged at with scissors is pretty threatening. Connor lets the Drifloon know that he just wants to understand the ghost-type's intentions more clearly, especially regarding this whole business with the balloon. Connor is aware that he is taking a huge risk, considering that the vision he had seen involved his attacker becoming a Drifloon. As Connor talks, the Drifloon appears to be slowly inflating itself, until it is twice its normal size; strangely, it does not appear to be preparing an attack, though it is preparing something... Finally, as Connor finishes speaking by asking if the Drifloon has anything it would like to tell Connor and Gaspard, it begins to deflate, the air coming out of the Drifloon's mouth forming an airy, high-pitched voice; despite the ethereal quality of the voice, it somehow seems angry:

"Sorry, huh? I'll bet you're sorry... That balloon's full of evil! Stop being a stupid pair of monkeys and give me those scissors! As the balloon deflates, the anger in its voice seems to deflate as well. It slowly inflates again, in order to exhale another airy monologue: You're in a lot of danger. If you do not accept my help... ha, THEN you'll know the meaning of being sorry. The balloon Pokemon now deflated to its normal size again, it holds out a yellow appendage towards Gaspard, as if asking him to return the scissors. How will Connor and Gaspard respond?

Balmund- William nods as Balmund introduces himself. "Duke, huh... Like royalty. I like it." He chuckles a bit, returning Balmund's nervous smile. As the two men rise to the summit of the Rollerquaza, Balmund then thinks to ask, more to himself than to William; "Any regrets?" William seems to pause at this question, thinking for a moment before responding. "Only one, man. Only one." He pauses again, shaking his head, as if some memory were darkening his mind. "After today, though, that number hopefully drops to zero." He smirks as he pats the Rollerquaza car's plastic Rayquaza head, as if the ride were some sort of dog. "Good ol' number ten. That crazy b**** in the Fortune Telling Tent better not have lied to me..." He turns to Balmund, his eyes so intense that they could bore holes straight through Balmund's soul. "What about you, Duke? Do you have any regrets?" Before Balmund can respond, the ride begins to return to a more horizontal state, indicating that the pair have made it to the very peak of the Rollerquaza. The ride curls around the steep curve of the summit, precariously perching itself at the top. A haze surrounds the two men, as if they were surrounded by clouds. Both men are not only at the highest point of the ride, but have also reached the zenith of their fear; through the haze, the steepest drop in all of Fizzytopia looms beneath them.

An inexplicable flash of light overcomes the Rollerquaza, temporarily disabling the vision of the two men. The light produces a strange feeling in the pit of Balmund's stomach, as if something about it was... off. Even so, the light disappears as quickly as it came. Perched at the very top of the ride, at the exact midpoint between the painful, frightening climb of their past and the death-defying, heart-pumping descent that marks their future, Balmund and William can hear their own screams as they begin their descent... only it isn't them screaming. It seems as if an exact replica of their Rollerquaza car has begun the descent without them, barreling forward while the real Balmund and William remain anxiously trapped at the top of the ride. Similar to the line of people that disappeared earlier, Balmund is left wondering what kind of strange illusion this could be; perhaps it was a part of the ride, designed to further create anticipation by providing a holographic vision of what awaits the two men. William, oddly enough, seems delighted by this illusion. "It's working... Holy Arceus, it's really working..." He mutters in amazement. As he says this, gravity seems to be pulling the ride backwards, and after a couple of moments of that sickening, slow pull, the back of the ride drops down the slope, with Balmund and William facing the sky as they plummet back the way they came! The vertical drop is absolutely terrifying, but William seems ecstatic, screaming excitedly as the ride reverses course. Balmund and William find themselves being inexplicably rocketed upwards where drops originally should have been at blinding speeds, and falling backwards at every place where the ride climbed. Every turn and loop is reversed at a speed even greater than what was experienced when the ride was going forwards, until the two find themselves back with the animatronic Dratini and Swablu, their backwards-facing ride going slow and steady once again. The animatronics somehow seem more vibrant, more realistic, more fluid in their movement... It was as if they were somehow re-energized and revitalized after years of wear and tear. As the two men ride backwards toward the docking station, the sound of a crowd awaiting them fills their ears. William leans forward, checking his backpack to make sure everything is still there. As he does this, he suddenly says to Balmund, "Better question for you... Do you even know what you're getting yourself into?" He chuckles as he says this. "Guess you can't turn back now, but you looked really f-ing shocked back there... Don't you know about the number ten?"

How does Balmund respond?

Treecko's Awesomeness- After recalling Treecko, who seems all too eager to return to his Pokeball, TA decides to call out the companion given to him by Mantine. The red light that bursts from the activated Pokeball seems to release a strangely floral scent into the Mantine's cabin. The ball of light forming the Pokemon's sillohette floats in midair, with little leaves sticking out of a round body. As the light fades, the green of the leaves and the pink of the Pokemon's skin become visible, as tiny yellow eyes scan their surroundings before finally resting on TA. Since she has no neck to speak of, a light pink collar has been fitted around her belly with a little Mantine charm visible on her stomach. The opens her arms wide as she floats towards TA, hoping to get a hug from her new friend. She is surprisingly unaffected by her surroundings despite her traumatic experience; perhaps this little pink cutie truly is capable of enduring more than her looks would suggest.

In the distance, a slight movement in the trees and the sound of birds cawing draws both the Hoppip's and TA's attention. Looking through the mechaMantine window, you can see what appears to be a small flock of colorful birds that are flying towards the mechaMantine, presumably curious about the inhabitants. They appear like friendly Pokemon and do not appear to be vicious or angry, and the little Hoppip that rides with TA does not appear afraid of them; in fact, her face is glued to the window as she uses a little paw to wave at them. As they get closer, they begin imitating sounds from the ride's past:

Chaaat! Look at the Chatot! Look at the Chatot! Chaaaaaat!

Pretty birds! Pretty birds!

Where's my camera? Where's my camera? Thought it was right here!

Take a look, Hoppip! Chaaaat!

Hoppip pulls away from the window, her facial expression changed as if she had come to a terrible realization. Instead of being perky and smiling, a more concerned expression has taken over her little pink face. As the Chatot continue, the content of their imitation becomes more and more sinister:

CHAAAT! Crashing! Crashing!

Hurts, it hurts!

Get help, Hoppip! Get help!

At the final statement, the Chatot begin to speak in unison, all repeating the same, eerie phrase: Get help, Hoppip! Get help! Louder and louder they chant, as some of them begin landing on the wings of the mechaMantine, facing the trainer and his Pokemon as they continue their morbid repetition. The Hoppip is silently weeping, though she seems to desperately be trying to hide this fact from both the Chatot and from TA.

How will TA respond?

Tuner89- As Tuner makes his way to the Surf path, it seems as if even Reaper is spooked by their surroundings; the closer they get to the ride, the more oppressive the atmosphere becomes. It dawns on Tuner that he will be taking on the role of "first responder" should anything occur with TA or Hyrem's mechaMantines. One would hope that the Pokemon he has received from the Mantine will be able to help them should they end up in the water. Even so, the very fact that Tuner has to think about these worst-case scenarios is enough to make him tense.

The trainer and his Duskull make it to the mechaMantine boat, and Reaper seems surprisingly eager to return to his Pokeball in accordance with the ride's protocol. Sitting down on the waterproof bench, Tuner notices the message behind the "Surf" label, and thinks to himself that it is indeed fortunate that Duskull was so happy to return to his Pokeball, seeing as the ghost-type may frighten his new companion. Despite the eerieness of the ride and the thoughts that occur to Tuner regarding the children who met their deaths at this very park, he cannot help but feel excited at the thought of meeting his new friend. The moment he is able, Tuner activates the Pokeball, which releases a ball of red light that seems to be clinging to Tuner's leg; the sillohette of the creature has distinctively long ears and a long, rounded tail. As the light fades to reveal the Pokemon's brown fur, striped tail and soulful black eyes, Tuner notices the blue collar around the Pokemon's neck, which has a cute little Mantine charm on it. The pulls himself up on Tuner's leg and crawls on top of it; he balances himself on Tuner's knee using his muscular tail, propping himself up in order to come face with face in Tuner. He examines the trainer's face with a curious expression. Tuner can't help but think that this Pokemon has a certain sort of charm, which may explain why others may have been reluctant to attack him.

The adorable Sentret looks intensely at Tuner for a moment before immediately turning his head at a slight movement that catches his eye; he runs off of Tuner's lap and jumps into the water before Tuner can say anything, swimming frantically toward a small object in the distance. The Sentret grabs the object with its mouth and immediately swims back to the mechaMantine boat with surprising speed and skill. He catches up with the flume-like mechaMantine fairly quickly, and scampers up the boat's rim before jumping back into the seat. He rests his wet paws on Tuner's leg, who can now see that the Sentret is holding a bottle of Fizzy Cola in his mouth. Instead of Cola, however, it appears as if there is a rolled-up piece of paper inside. Sentret seems quite pleased with his discovery, and seems excited for Tuner to take the bottle. How will he react?

Meetan- Alice has a mixed reaction to the Rapidash and "her" strange comments. Certainly, she is pleased that the Rapidash indirectly complimented her, and the Western-style accent is reminscent of the style of speech you'd hear utilized by the characters of Woody's Round-Up. Certainly, Alice can picture herself as the adventure-loving Jessie, riding like the wind on a slightly more disturbing, flame-covered version of Bullseye. Even so, the overall presence of the mechanical horse and the eerie, grating sound of its movement and speech is off-putting to say the least. Swinub's reaction is definitely telling; after all, for an ice-type to shiver, something spooky definitely has to be going on. Alice's response to the strange sight before her is to immediately take a step back and question what she is observing; she asks the Rapidash how it is possible for it to move or speak. She follows this question up with a potentially insulting remark; not knowing how else to phrase it, Alice informs the Rapidash that she sounds "broken".

The "-en" of "broken" barely leaves Alice's lips before the poles attaching the Rapidash to Merry-Go-Round's floor and ceiling begin violently shaking. Spider-cracks spread from the top and bottom of the poles, as the Rapidash's limbs creak and groan out of their stationary position; just as the mechanical Rapidash's legs perfectly straighten, with hooves hovering inches above the ground, the two poles shatter as if some great pressure within them is released, causing Alice to reflexively shield her eyes and her Swinub from the shrapnel. The Rapidash falls gently to the ground, standing stock-straight and ready for action. "Broken... heh, I guess y'could say that." The mechanical horse whinnies eerily; "I find it's true fer' most broken critters... What makes me broken also sets me free! YEEEEEEE-HAW!" The Rapidash rears up on its two back legs for a moment and lets loose a powerful whinny before returning to its original position, as if relishing its newfound freedom. "As fer' yer' other question... I can move 'cause I was built to move. Simple's that, darlin'. Oh, speakin' of movin'..." The mechanical Rapidash takes a step forward. "We can go anywhere y'want. Phantom Isle... The whole world... it's waitin' for us! Where d'you want to go, honey?" The former Merry-Go-Round denizen eyes Alice with its dead eyes, as if awaiting her decision.

There appear to be several options. She could ask to be taken somewhere in the Park, such as one of the rides or to the hotel. She could also ask to be taken out of the park to explore what remains of the outskirts of Phantom Isle. She could even ask the Rapidash to take her around the Merry-Go-Round... or she could decide not to go anywhere at all. The choice is hers.

Meetan- Alice has a mixed reaction to the Rapidash and "her" strange comments. Certainly, she is pleased that the Rapidash indirectly complimented her, and the Western-style accent is reminscent of the style of speech you'd hear utilized by the characters of Woody's Round-Up. Certainly, Alice can picture herself as the adventure-loving Jessie, riding like the wind on a slightly more disturbing, flame-covered version of Bullseye. Even so, the overall presence of the mechanical horse and the eerie, grating sound of its movement and speech is off-putting to say the least. Swinub's reaction is definitely telling; after all, for an ice-type to shiver, something spooky definitely has to be going on. Alice's response to the strange sight before her is to immediately take a step back and question what she is observing; she asks the Rapidash how it is possible for it to move or speak. She follows this question up with a potentially insulting remark; not knowing how else to phrase it, Alice informs the Rapidash that she sounds "broken".

The "-en" of "broken" barely leaves Alice's lips before the poles attaching the Rapidash to Merry-Go-Round's floor and ceiling begin violently shaking. Spider-cracks spread from the top and bottom of the poles, as the Rapidash's limbs creak and groan out of their stationary position; just as the mechanical Rapidash's legs perfectly straighten, with hooves hovering inches above the ground, the two poles shatter as if some great pressure within them is released, causing Alice to reflexively shield her eyes and her Swinub from the shrapnel. The Rapidash falls gently to the ground, standing stock-straight and ready for action. "Broken... heh, I guess y'could say that." The mechanical horse whinnies eerily; "I find it's true fer' most broken critters... What makes me broken also sets me free! YEEEEEEE-HAW!" The Rapidash rears up on its two back legs for a moment and lets loose a powerful whinny before returning to its original position, as if relishing its newfound freedom. "As fer' yer' other question... I can move 'cause I was built to move. Simple's that, darlin'. Oh, speakin' of movin'..." The mechanical Rapidash takes a step forward. "We can go anywhere y'want. Phantom Isle... The whole world... it's waitin' for us! Where d'you want to go, honey?" The former Merry-Go-Round denizen eyes Alice with its dead eyes, as if awaiting her decision.

There appear to be several options. She could ask to be taken somewhere in the Park, such as one of the rides or to the hotel. She could also ask to be taken out of the park to explore what remains of the outskirts of Phantom Isle. She could even ask the Rapidash to take her around the Merry-Go-Round... or she could decide not to go anywhere at all. The choice is hers.

When the ride began to shake, Alice screeched with it, reeling back with fright and apologising profusely. It looked like she had indeed caused offence, but moments later this was shown up to be anxiety, as the Rapidash embraced its liberty. The human was left shaking like a leaf in a storm, and with the rate at which her heart was racing, the girl couldn't help but think that if several pounds weren't lost out of stress, she would have been served a great injustice.

Millions of thoughts swam through her head, but the teenager was alert enough to take in information, and she nodded a few times to show this. A brief look at Swinub suggested he had no intention of helping her make a decision, and that it was up to her. "Well, maybe going round the merry-go-round would be nice..." She started hesitantly, beginning a cautious, slow-treaded approach. A small, shivering hand reached up to stroke along the machinary, tracing over the whispy art of its mane and along its back. This was a stupid choice to make: to ride this obviously wild, haunted, living ride. But at the same time, the trainer thought it thrilling, and if she turned away, it may never appear to her again. Furthermore, she didn't want to anger a spirit by being rude. "Or maybe to the Fortune Teller's Tent. But the rest of the isle sounds good, too - how many rides do I get?" Alice asked finally, hoisting herself up by one stirrup and swinging her legs over the horse's back. Swinub rested between her legs, clutching the reigns his mistress held onto tightly in his mouth.

Dark Searchman- Hyrem is finding plenty of reasons to worry now that he has officially begun his Mantine Mania journey. The disturbing discovery behind the "Dive" label, the ominous warning of the Mantine and the eerie aura that surrounds the ride in general all add to the feeling that danger lurks deep within the inky waters through which his mechaMantine travels. It doesn't help any that the companion he was promised by Mantine seems to be a Pokemon that is no more. Berift of life, it rests in peace. If it wasn't in a Pokeball, it'd be pushing up the daisies. It's run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. What on earth is Hyrem going to do with a corpse? Hopefully the label was a mistake, and the Pokemon was just resting, or stunned, or simply pining for the fjords. Either way, Hyrem decides to solve the mystery of his strange Pokeball, and braces himself mentally for a rotting corpse, should one end up emerging.

Fortunately for Hyrem, the smell of death and decay does not emerge from the Pokeball as he activates the white push-button, though the faint smell of seawater plays across his nostrils as the red light forms into the shape of a jellyfish-looking creature. As the red light around the Pokemon fades into an ocean blue, Hyrem comes face-to-face with his new companion, whose red eyes meet Hyrem's with a curious gaze. A blue collar fits loosely around the Pokemon's neck, complete with an adorable little Mantine charm. This must be the rental collar that the Mantine in the kiosk alluded to earlier. After bowing his head in greeting, the ghostly jellyfish moves toward Hyrem and sits down beside him, letting his tentacles droop from the bench as he hums a little song to himself. He seems to be using the humming as a self-soothing mechanism for nervousness, though Hyrem cannot tell if that nervousness is from being shy or as a result of the surroundings he finds himself in... Maybe a little of both. Certainly, this is a strange little being, but thankfully not a lifeless one.

Something seems to catch the Frillish's attention, as his head lowers to face a distant shadow that seems to be moving about beneath the Mantine's clear bottom. It is hard to tell what the shadow might be, though the Frillish visibly shudders at the sight of it. The shadow seems to be growing gradually larger, as more small shadows seem to be appearing around the transparent submarine. Frillish appears absolutely terrified by the movement around him, and curls his tentacles around him, forming a little ball of shaking jelly. His humming is loud and stammered, as if desperately trying to tune something out. As his humming reaches its highest pitch, a nearly unintelligible, low-pitched noise gradually becomes audible to Hyrem's ears. How will Hyrem react?

Expecting to plug his nose from the stench of a decomposing body, Hyrem instead smells seawater as he opens the Pokeball... not a smell someone who had limited experience with the sea was accustomed to, but definitely a better aroma to fill the cabin with, all things considered. The red light materializes into a blue jellyfish with five tentacles, its red eyes looking at him curiously. Having never seen this Pokemon before, he consults his Pokedex:

Frillish, the Floating Pokemon. Rumored to be the spirits of children born into wealthy families who drowned in tragic accidents at sea, they paralyze their prey then wrap their tentacles around them and drag them to the depths of the sea to drown them.

Hyrem was relieved. It all made sense now! Since Frillish was a Ghost-type Pokemon, it's no wonder they couldn't figure out whether they should call it alive or dead. The Frillish greeted his new companion by bowing to him, and Hyrem was impressed with his manners and gradually warmed up to this new Pokemon. "Well, hi, I'm Hyrem," he said to his partner for the ride and hopefully beyond. "It's nice to meet you!" Pleasantries aside, he remembered that he wasn't here for fun (not that this ride felt like fun anyway), he had a job to do. The blue collar around Frillish's neck had a little Mantine on it, probably signifying this was a rental Pokemon for the Mantine Mania attraction. Now he would be able to discover easier if future Pokemon he comes across are rentals that need to be reported.

Hyrem was about to ask Frillish if it wanted to sit down, but it took the initiative and sat down next to him. His tentacles hung down from the bench they were sitting on as he hummed a little tune. It appeared this Pokemon was very nervous, whether in general or as a reaction to this eerie environment, and the humming was a means to somehow comfort himself. Maybe the tune he was humming reminded him of a lullaby he had heard in a past life?

Then Frillish looks down at the Mantine's glass bottom and sees something move around below them. Hyrem sees it too and asks himself, "W-What could that be?" Whatever it was, it had Frillish scared stiff, and he could be seen shuddering at the sight of such a mysterious shadow... especially as it started to get bigger. "N-n-n-nothing to worry a-about, j-j-just something that w-w-wants to ch-check us out... r-r-right?" Hyrem stuttered, trying to comfort the blue jellyfish, but it was clear he wasn't even going to comfort himself with those words. Oh, but it got worse as smaller shadows started appearing from all over the underwater area, surrounding the submarine. Frillish's humming grew louder and more desperate as it started to curl up its tentacles around its face, basically becoming a ball of quivering jelly. Hyrem's heart started racing along with Frilish's humming, and he said, "Frillish, c-can you please stop th-that? I-I-It's not really helping." His humming only got louder and at a higher pitch, and, despite the Floating Pokemon's high-pitched humming, Hyrem could start hearing a low-pitched sound, perhaps something Frillish was trying to tune out... and it sounded like it was coming closer! "Okay, th-th-that's s-s-something to w-w-worry about!" he said as he started panicking. He had the urge to say some sort of phrase that was normally said by a kid in a classic mystery cartoon whenever they were scared, but he resisted that urge and tried his best to keep some sort of level head. He searched through the buttons inside the submarine, hoping to find some way to shine some light on the surrounding shadows, especially the one coming from below since that was apparently what was making those low sounds.

For several decades this remote theme park was a popular tourist attraction for people of all ages. Starting as a small fairground it was built into the land's largest and most sought after family holiday destination, the entire island eventually converted into one enormous theme park incorporating hundreds of rides, entertainment venues, and showcases. Contests were held, friendly trainer battles took place, children were even allowed to hire Pokémon for the day to either keep them company or to battle with in special kiddie events. When the park became so popular that families wished to stay longer than a single day in order to experience everything there was to offer, a grand hotel was built offering special and affordable deals for families and trainers alike. Then one day, several years ago and during the height of the theme park's popularity, a devastating fire on the Ghost Train responsible for the deaths of several adults, trainers, and dozens of children, closed the fairground to the public. Reconstruction work began immediately, but after many unexplained happenings involving serious injury, and in a few cases the death of construction workers, the repairs were put on hold. The spooky events continued long after, with many curious trespassers, as well as the security guards hired to keep them away, disappearing, never to be seen again, or turning up on the mainland frightened out of their wits with no memory of why, or of how they got there. Any and all attempts at reconstruction have since failed, leaving the theme park shrouded in an aura of darkness and mystery. As a result very few dared to venture here, the stench of death and misery allowing the theme park to become a breeding ground for the darker side of the Pokémon world. As supernatural activity in the deserted park increased, a strange purple haze began to appear until eventually the entire island was surrounded by it resulting in a permanent state of darkness shrouding it as natural light was unable to properly filter through. This of course deterred even more people from approaching the area as they deemed it far too dangerous. In recent weeks, however, some rather bizarre events are rumoured to be taking place, and as word spreads of the park once again being open, only now run by ghosts, the theme park has been renamed "The Phantom Isle". Now, some of the more daring adventurers in the land have been contemplating returning to the park to discover for themselves if there is indeed any truth to these amazing stories.

The Hotel

Situated at the back of the theme park is a grand hotel where guests and their Pokémon stayed whilst visiting. The ground floor has the usual areas such as lobby, restaurant, boutique, and entertainment room, while the downstairs levels house a storeroom and very special casino for its patrons. The hotel is still very active but its guests are far different than you might be used to encountering. The eight upper floors containing the suites are more often than not inhabited by spirits, some being those who perished in the fateful incident that closed the park. Some are restless not realising they are dead, and some are harmless, while others are not. Wander around the hotel and you may find more than you'd bargained for.

Areas:The Lobby: Upon entering the hotel's main doors, you reach a marble-floored lobby with a check-in desk and huge chandeliers that flicker ominously. Behind the desk lies most of the keys to the various hotels rooms, but an unseen power prevents you from taking more than one at a time. A lone elevator sits at one end, leading up to the rest of the rooms or down to the storeroom and casino.

The front doors parted open and a young man walked in, unafraid. Defiant even.
The Pokémon behind him... not so much.

- Minccino, get a hold of yourself! It's just a hotel, there's nothing here that can harm us. - said Levin confidently... before adding, with a wicked grin - Or is there?

The chincilla let out a small screech and rapidly climbed on top of her trainer's shoulders, trembling in fear.

Girls...

Levin looked around. He hadn't selected the famous, yet dreaded Phantom Isle as their new travel destination by chance. They were all still green, having started out their journey recently .Elekid and Gible, his two other Pokémon, were little more than babies, and even Minccino was far from a strong Pokémon. But physical strength was something that they'd gain naturally overtime, through training and fighting. Here, Levin sought to give them something different.

Strength of spirit is something entirely different. It's easy to be fearless in battle, to be brave doing something we've been trained to do from the start. But here lie mysteries beyond comprehension, it's not something you can prepare for in advance. If we face the unknown, the paranormal, and walk out sane, we'll have become stronger than any amount of routine training could achieve.

Oh, and he might as well nab some new Pokémon in the process. That'd sweeten the deal.

The hall of Phantom Isle's Hotel was as uninviting as he had imagined. The atmosphere was cold and empty, chandeliers flickered eerily and cast ever-changing shadows through the marble-tiled floor.
The obligatory check-in counter was there, but there was nobody in sight. Big surprise.

He made his way to the front desk, taking large, unfaltering steps, and playfully rang the small bell as if calling for the clerk, flashing a huge grin at Minccino. For his efforts in trying to cheer her up, he was awarded a DoubleSlap and a death stare.

- Geez, I wasn't making fun of you! Chill out, Min...

He went around the counter and looked at the display case. Several keys were there, meaning most - if not all - of the rooms were empty. Or rather, absent human guests.

Ghost Train: Enter if you dare - The Ghost Train, the site of the disaster responsible for the closure of the theme park. Ghostly visits from children lost are reported to have scared many a construction crew away from this site while some of the strongest and darkest Pokémon of all are rumoured to dwell within the burnt out remains of this once popular ride.

Reiji looked over the small map, wondering where to go next. The Ghost Train, renowned for it's deaths, or the Circus Tent, crammed with almost as many ghosts. Necro flew in closer, and gently tapped the Train symbol with his beak. "Ghost Train it is. Let's go see some clowns later, eh?"

"It took no more than ten minutes to get over here, seems they're not busy today, eh Necro?" Reiji peeked his head inside, looking around for any signs of imminent danger. It seems we're good. For now, at least.

What's that light? It's getting closer....

Reiji walked to one of the only slightly rotted boarding platforms. So it is a train. All aboard, eh?

Treecko's Awesomeness- After recalling Treecko, who seems all too eager to return to his Pokeball, TA decides to call out the companion given to him by Mantine. The red light that bursts from the activated Pokeball seems to release a strangely floral scent into the Mantine's cabin. The ball of light forming the Pokemon's sillohette floats in midair, with little leaves sticking out of a round body. As the light fades, the green of the leaves and the pink of the Pokemon's skin become visible, as tiny yellow eyes scan their surroundings before finally resting on TA. Since she has no neck to speak of, a light pink collar has been fitted around her belly with a little Mantine charm visible on her stomach. The opens her arms wide as she floats towards TA, hoping to get a hug from her new friend. She is surprisingly unaffected by her surroundings despite her traumatic experience; perhaps this little pink cutie truly is capable of enduring more than her looks would suggest.

In the distance, a slight movement in the trees and the sound of birds cawing draws both the Hoppip's and TA's attention. Looking through the mechaMantine window, you can see what appears to be a small flock of colorful birds that are flying towards the mechaMantine, presumably curious about the inhabitants. They appear like friendly Pokemon and do not appear to be vicious or angry, and the little Hoppip that rides with TA does not appear afraid of them; in fact, her face is glued to the window as she uses a little paw to wave at them. As they get closer, they begin imitating sounds from the ride's past:

Chaaat! Look at the Chatot! Look at the Chatot! Chaaaaaat!

Pretty birds! Pretty birds!

Where's my camera? Where's my camera? Thought it was right here!

Take a look, Hoppip! Chaaaat!

Hoppip pulls away from the window, her facial expression changed as if she had come to a terrible realization. Instead of being perky and smiling, a more concerned expression has taken over her little pink face. As the Chatot continue, the content of their imitation becomes more and more sinister:

CHAAAT! Crashing! Crashing!

Hurts, it hurts!

Get help, Hoppip! Get help!

At the final statement, the Chatot begin to speak in unison, all repeating the same, eerie phrase: Get help, Hoppip! Get help! Louder and louder they chant, as some of them begin landing on the wings of the mechaMantine, facing the trainer and his Pokemon as they continue their morbid repetition. The Hoppip is silently weeping, though she seems to desperately be trying to hide this fact from both the Chatot and from TA.

How will TA respond?

TA looked at the Pokemon in excitement. A Hoppip! He hadn't even guessed that he'd get a Grass-Type! He had thought that the available Pokemon would be restricted to ones that could learn Fly, but the happy little bulb fluttering in front of him proved him wrong. She floated up to the trainer and hugged him. TA, while a little surprised, hugged the Pokemon back.

"Hey, there, Hoppip!" he said. "My name's Thomas, but you can call me TA. You're going to be helping me explore for a while, if that's okay with you."

Judging by the Hoppip's continued smile, she wasn't disappointed with this news. Soon, the car came upon a flock of Chatot perching on the branches of a few trees. They didn't look dangerous to TA, or Hoppip, by the Pokemon's expression.

They started to repeat phrases from the ride's past, and Hoppip pressed her face against the glass and waved to them. Suddenly, the Chatots' voices became more urgent. They started to shriek about the crashing ride, and started begging Hoppip to go get help. The Grass-Type Pokemon started to whimper at the memories she had of the ride. She tried to hide the tears, but TA saw them anyway.

Oh, no. What would he do? He couldn't return her to her Pokeball, as he needed her help to navigate the ride, but he couldn't stand to hear her cry. TA gave the Pokemon another hug. "Don't worry, Hoppip. It'll be okay." Finally coming to a decision, TA started to bang on the glass in an attempt to scare off the parrot Pokemon outside. "Cut it out! Can't you see that you're scaring her?"

My fan-fic(Credit to Gelatino95 at Crazy Dragon Graphics for the userbar) Author's profile And here's an awesome RPG. It has dinosaurs!And a sprite comic, because I can't draw!

Balmund- William nods as Balmund introduces himself. "Duke, huh... Like royalty. I like it." He chuckles a bit, returning Balmund's nervous smile. As the two men rise to the summit of the Rollerquaza, Balmund then thinks to ask, more to himself than to William; "Any regrets?" William seems to pause at this question, thinking for a moment before responding. "Only one, man. Only one." He pauses again, shaking his head, as if some memory were darkening his mind. "After today, though, that number hopefully drops to zero." He smirks as he pats the Rollerquaza car's plastic Rayquaza head, as if the ride were some sort of dog. "Good ol' number ten. That crazy b**** in the Fortune Telling Tent better not have lied to me..." He turns to Balmund, his eyes so intense that they could bore holes straight through Balmund's soul. "What about you, Duke? Do you have any regrets?" Before Balmund can respond, the ride begins to return to a more horizontal state, indicating that the pair have made it to the very peak of the Rollerquaza. The ride curls around the steep curve of the summit, precariously perching itself at the top. A haze surrounds the two men, as if they were surrounded by clouds. Both men are not only at the highest point of the ride, but have also reached the zenith of their fear; through the haze, the steepest drop in all of Fizzytopia looms beneath them.

An inexplicable flash of light overcomes the Rollerquaza, temporarily disabling the vision of the two men. The light produces a strange feeling in the pit of Balmund's stomach, as if something about it was... off. Even so, the light disappears as quickly as it came. Perched at the very top of the ride, at the exact midpoint between the painful, frightening climb of their past and the death-defying, heart-pumping descent that marks their future, Balmund and William can hear their own screams as they begin their descent... only it isn't them screaming. It seems as if an exact replica of their Rollerquaza car has begun the descent without them, barreling forward while the real Balmund and William remain anxiously trapped at the top of the ride. Similar to the line of people that disappeared earlier, Balmund is left wondering what kind of strange illusion this could be; perhaps it was a part of the ride, designed to further create anticipation by providing a holographic vision of what awaits the two men. William, oddly enough, seems delighted by this illusion. "It's working... Holy Arceus, it's really working..." He mutters in amazement. As he says this, gravity seems to be pulling the ride backwards, and after a couple of moments of that sickening, slow pull, the back of the ride drops down the slope, with Balmund and William facing the sky as they plummet back the way they came! The vertical drop is absolutely terrifying, but William seems ecstatic, screaming excitedly as the ride reverses course. Balmund and William find themselves being inexplicably rocketed upwards where drops originally should have been at blinding speeds, and falling backwards at every place where the ride climbed. Every turn and loop is reversed at a speed even greater than what was experienced when the ride was going forwards, until the two find themselves back with the animatronic Dratini and Swablu, their backwards-facing ride going slow and steady once again. The animatronics somehow seem more vibrant, more realistic, more fluid in their movement... It was as if they were somehow re-energized and revitalized after years of wear and tear. As the two men ride backwards toward the docking station, the sound of a crowd awaiting them fills their ears. William leans forward, checking his backpack to make sure everything is still there. As he does this, he suddenly says to Balmund, "Better question for you... Do you even know what you're getting yourself into?" He chuckles as he says this. "Guess you can't turn back now, but you looked really f-ing shocked back there... Don't you know about the number ten?"

How does Balmund respond?

Balmund's question really seems to get to William, as he pauses for a before answering, shaking of some unpleasant memory in the process. Whatever his sole regret was, however, it seems he intended to do something about it right now, and he was counting on this car for it. A fortune telling tent though? What kind of fortune did he get there, anyways? It would indeed be very unfortunate if it turned out to be a sham though, considering the current circumstances. He proceeds to return the question, but Balmund has no chance to answer back as the ride finally reaches it peek. Both men are surrounded by a cloudy haze as the ride curves and perches itself at the top, and in an insant, they are both blinded by a flash of light. Something within Balmund's guts gave him a feeling that something was very off about this, and in moment the feeling is confirmed as Balmund sees and hears a replica of himself falling down the slope. Balmund wondered just was kind of dark sorcery was taking place right now, but he was certainly in shock. William however seemed delighted by this. He had anticipated and hoped for it, but it also looked like he couldn't quite believe his eyes himself. As he mutters out loud in amazement, the ride suddenly starts dropping the other way, revisiting every single turn and drop, much, much faster than before. Balmund's guts were feeling weird alright, and this time for perfectly understandable reasons as they were thoroughly scrambled. William however was ecstatic, screaming excitedly with pure euphoria, like he had already won some huge gamble and got a millionaire jackpot for a reward.

The ride slows down as it returns back to its starting point, and somehow, everything looked that much more lively and new. Back at the docking station they could hear the sounds of a crowd waiting for them. Nothing about this made sense to Balmund as he was still trying to process all the information that his senses provided. Had they actually warped in time or something, or was this something more than that? Whatever it was, William was pleased as he checked the contents of his bag, making sure everything was intact. Chuckling, he changes his question and asks if Balmund really knew what he had gotten himself into.

"Seems like you do." He responds still trying to recover his breath. "To me, this was more like taking a dive off a rockly cliff and hoping I wouldn't crash in the process."

"Tell me William," he continued after a brief pause, "what about the number ten?"

“What are you talking about?” she asks, “The sixth floor is definitely not missing. I’ll show you.”

She grabs your arm and pulls you towards the staircase, and this woman is much stronger than she appears to be. She starts to climb the stairs and you follow her, wondering where you would end up. Walking to the top of the stairs, you look across and see a sign that says ‘Floor 6’.

“See I told you that there was a sixth floor,” says the woman, “I have no idea what you are going about the floor being missing.”

Something is definitely not right about this, but this is definitely the sixth floor, and it definitely isn’t missing. Rather dejectedly you and Gold make your way out of the hotel, and when you step onto the first floor you take a look at the front desk. And freeze in your steps. Sitting there on the desk is a card with the date printed on it, Friday the 17th of February, 1984! And then another realisation hits you. You hadn’t really paid attention to what the woman had been wearing but now that you think about it, but the clothing that she had been wearing had been ever so slightly outdated.

What will you do?

Bill found himself to be majorly disappointed with this 'new' finding. All those rumors about the sixth floor disappearing, never to be seen was all just a lie. So much for that adventure, he just turned to the woman and said, "Thank you for your help then, ma'am." The red-haired trainer walked downstairs with Gold, a bit defeated about this. He walked through the lobby, his eye looks toward a nearby calendar. At first he thought nothing of it and continued onward, until he realized something. He rushed back to the calendar and sure enough the date that was on it was...February of over 15 years back. Why in the heck was the calendar wrong? Unless it wasn't wrong...and Bill was back in time. At first he thought the idea was a bit silly, but he couldn't help but wonder...and to top it all off, that woman was wearing clothes that were a bit old fashioned, not that Bill was one to talk about fashion.

"Gold, I think we better head back upstairs. There's something odd going on..." Bill stated. The Totodile nodded his head and started up the stairs. This time Bill decided to head back to the mysterious floor, the 6th floor.

Tuner89- As Tuner makes his way to the Surf path, it seems as if even Reaper is spooked by their surroundings; the closer they get to the ride, the more oppressive the atmosphere becomes. It dawns on Tuner that he will be taking on the role of "first responder" should anything occur with TA or Hyrem's mechaMantines. One would hope that the Pokemon he has received from the Mantine will be able to help them should they end up in the water. Even so, the very fact that Tuner has to think about these worst-case scenarios is enough to make him tense.

The trainer and his Duskull make it to the mechaMantine boat, and Reaper seems surprisingly eager to return to his Pokeball in accordance with the ride's protocol. Sitting down on the waterproof bench, Tuner notices the message behind the "Surf" label, and thinks to himself that it is indeed fortunate that Duskull was so happy to return to his Pokeball, seeing as the ghost-type may frighten his new companion. Despite the eerieness of the ride and the thoughts that occur to Tuner regarding the children who met their deaths at this very park, he cannot help but feel excited at the thought of meeting his new friend. The moment he is able, Tuner activates the Pokeball, which releases a ball of red light that seems to be clinging to Tuner's leg; the sillohette of the creature has distinctively long ears and a long, rounded tail. As the light fades to reveal the Pokemon's brown fur, striped tail and soulful black eyes, Tuner notices the blue collar around the Pokemon's neck, which has a cute little Mantine charm on it. The pulls himself up on Tuner's leg and crawls on top of it; he balances himself on Tuner's knee using his muscular tail, propping himself up in order to come face with face in Tuner. He examines the trainer's face with a curious expression. Tuner can't help but think that this Pokemon has a certain sort of charm, which may explain why others may have been reluctant to attack him.

The adorable Sentret looks intensely at Tuner for a moment before immediately turning his head at a slight movement that catches his eye; he runs off of Tuner's lap and jumps into the water before Tuner can say anything, swimming frantically toward a small object in the distance. The Sentret grabs the object with its mouth and immediately swims back to the mechaMantine boat with surprising speed and skill. He catches up with the flume-like mechaMantine fairly quickly, and scampers up the boat's rim before jumping back into the seat. He rests his wet paws on Tuner's leg, who can now see that the Sentret is holding a bottle of Fizzy Cola in his mouth. Instead of Cola, however, it appears as if there is a rolled-up piece of paper inside. Sentret seems quite pleased with his discovery, and seems excited for Tuner to take the bottle. How will he react?

As the flash clears, an adorable Sentret appears. Sentret scampers up on top of Tuner's legs, and Tuner can't help but stare, amazed. Aside from Achene, this is the cutest thing he's ever seen. Suddenly the message on the pokeball makes sense, and Tuner can't help but admire the little guy and all he's been through.

Just as Tuner opens his mouth to say hello, the Sentret is gone, having dived into the water. Worried, Tuner jumps up and runs to the side of the boat as he sees his new companion swimming away.

"Come back! You don't need to be afraid!" Tuner is worried and panicked, feeling like he's already failed the Mantine. Just as these thoughts rush through his head, he notices the Sentret turning around and returning, with something in its mouth. The Sentret reboards the craft, delivering the item: A bottle.

"What's this?" Tuner asked as the Sentret jumped up and down, pointing. "It looks like there's something in there... Do you want me to read it?" Sentret jumped up and down even more excitedly, nodding its head. "Well, alright then..." Tuner leaned over, picking up the bottle. Removing the letter, he began reading it out loud to his new friend.

Shadowshocker- Dahlia decides to take the lead for this particular battle. In response to Shadow expressing concern, she admonishes him with a stern peck on the ear, not only for doubting her, but for mentioning the dubious Halloween incident. The Chandelure bows to Dahlia as a respectful, honorable beginning to their battle; in contrast, Dahlia simply glares menacingly at her opponent. The fight begins quickly, with Dahlia calling up an Ominous Wind in hopes of not only damaging her opponent, but strengthing her own abilities. The wind hits Chandelure hard, knocking it back and causing his lights to flicker somewhat. It appears that Dahlia has gained a confidence boost from the attack, as well; she appears somewhat stronger than before. Despite the kickback of Dahlia's stellar attack, Chandelure easily picks himself back up; his candles flare, releasing a Smog into the air. Dahlia tries using this moment to respond with Air Cutter; though the attack blows away some of the smog and damages Chandelure somewhat, the after-effects of smog exposure seem to be effecting Dahlia rather strongly; she coughs and sputters, and looks a little sick... Maybe even poisoned. To make matters worse, Chandelure's eyes emit a blinding Confuse Ray straight towards Dahlia, causing the poor bird Pokemon to see little versions of herself flying around her head. The disorienting light transform's Dahlia's Drill Peck into the poor bird flying into a wall, with a rather sickening splat. Dahlia is able to pull herself off the wall, but she coughs a bit, as if affected by the poison. She still seems dazed by the Confuse Ray's blinding light. A bit of luck comes Dahlia's way as Chandelure is so amused by the bird smacking into the wall that he loses his opportunity to follow-up with a devestating attack, instead spending the time chuckling in spite of himself. The laughter enrages the humiliated Dahlia, whose feathers are sticking on end, tingling with anger. Shadow suspects that if she is able to overcome her disorientation, she could easily pull off a very powerful, rage-motivated attack soon.

Dahlia seems a bit worse for the wear than Chandelure at this point in the battle, though as they say, it ain't over 'til it's over. What will Shadow do?

Even in spite of Dahlia's own brand of malicious enthusiasm, given initial impressions it was beginning to be difficult to think positively. The orange Murkrow, after all, had essentially no battle experience and this particular opponent was in half his element. In her mad flurry Shadow timed his aim before lobbing a Persim Berry to the floundering flight operative, who crushed it into pulp with her beak. The neutrally flavoured juices soon calmed the movements of the Murkrow, but not her seething anger at the flickering, chortling light fixture. Shadow hoped that this wasn't a sign that the Chandelure was merely toying with them and that the fiery spirit held more power than any of them realised. Dahlia in the meantime muttered foul, unintelligble curses and warcries under her breath while Scherza ticked her tail from side to side, occasionally rotating her head in watchful thought. "Objection!" screamed the Chatot, "That was... objectionable!"

"Based on preliminary data it seems that the species line tends to be solid, so a Facade riding off the poison should work. After that, feed him a pair of Dark Pulses."

Todo da vueltas como un carrusel. Locura recorre todita mi piel.

Apologies to MarbleZone and XatuGamer for not adding you to the list this week; I'm planning on writing updates for you two next week, though. Hang tight~

Meetan- Against her better judgment, Alice decides to mount the mechanical horse and go for a ride; however, she has a difficult time deciding where she would like to go, and her loyal Swinub seems to be providing no help in making that decision. She first asks if maybe she could go once around the merry-go-round, stroking the mechanical horse's sculpted mane. The horse's plastic exterior is surprisingly ice-cold, even for the chilly atmosphere that surrounds both horse and rider. As Alice's hand travels down the mane and along the Rapidash's back, the texture seems to become less hard and rigid, yielding to a more soft, hair-like consistancy... It was as if the horse was coming to life. Of course, Alice realizes quickly that her tactile sense is deceiving her, as shiny horse still looks as solid and fake as ever. Alice's request then becomes slightly more adventurous, suggesting that they travel to the Fortune Teller's tent. As she climbs the stirrup and mounts the mechanical Rapidash (with Swinub following her lead), she goes so far as to request a ride around Phantom Isle... How many rides will this Rapidash offer to give her, anyway? There are so many options, it seems hard to pick just one!

The Rapidash chuckles eerily in response to Alice's indecision. "Tell y'what, puddin'... How 'bout we mosey on over to the Fortune Teller's Tent and ask her where we should go? That lady may be a few cards short of a full deck, but she knows a thing 'er two about directions, let me tell ya'... She might know which path is the best one fer' whatever y'happen t'be lookin' fer. I hope yer' holdin' on tight..." The Rapidash begins trotting off of the carousel at a leisurely pace, before breaking into a gallop around the carousel. She runs faster... faster... faster... So fast that Alice has no idea how she and her Swinub are managing to hang on, as colors and lights from the carousel zoom by in a blur. Faster, faster, faster, until a blinding light overwhelms both Swinub and trainer; when the light fades, the two suddenly find themselves outside of the Fortune Teller's Tent, as if they had teleported there. Both of them feel somewhat ill after the intense ride. "Woooo-eeee~!" The horse neighs happily. "That's just the beginnin'. WOO! Talk about exileratin'! Everyone okay back there?" The mechanical horse turns to face Alice, its disturbing red eyes focused directly on her. "Don't want any mishaps, now... Y'might feel a lil' sick at first, but you'll get used to it."

As the Rapidash says this, Alice's bag begins to move strangely, as if something living was inside. Suddenly, an odd creature tumbles out of the bag and onto the ground; fortunately, its catlike physique allows it to land on its feet. The creature, which Alice now identifies as a Purrloin, has her berry bag in its mouth, but the little thief promptly drops it as it wobbles around a bit, trying to get its bearings and recover from its unexpected wild ride. The mechanical horse looks at it with narrowed eyes. "Looks like we got a stowaway... Lotsa' varmints comin' round the merry-go-round to play tricks and steal things from good, upstandin' trainers. Lucky you caught this one, or it might'a made off with yer' berries..." The Rapidash snorts in the direction of the angry Purrloin, before muttering, "Ain't worth my time." The Purrloin, however, snarls at Alice, as if she were the one responsible for making it feel sick. As the Rapidash stops to let Alice dismount in order to retrieve her berry bag, the Purrloin growls and rushes toward Alice. The fire in its eyes seems to indicate that it wants to battle her for the berries!

What will Alice do?

Dark Searchman- Hyrem is greeted by a Pokemon that he has never seen before; as his Pokedex provides some relevant information regarding the creature, Hyrem feels a great sense of relief knowing that the confusion about whether the Frillish was living or dead likely had to do with being part ghost-type. Hyrem introduces himself while taking note of the collar on the Frillish's neck, making note of its appearance for potential rescues.

Hyrem takes notice of the strange shadows beneath the boat just as the Frillish does, which prompts him to nervously question what might be floating to meet them. Though Hyrem tries to comfort his new companion by reasoning that it's probably just a couple of Pokemon looking to say hello, like the poster for the attraction advertised, his stammering voice and worried expression does nothing to calm the already-hysterical jellyfish. Hyrem realizes that the Frillish might be humming loudly in order to drown out the low-pitched noise that seems to be growing in strength as the shadows approach; the sound that Frillish so desperately tries to drown out seems to unnerve Hyrem, as well. He decides to take action, searching the submarine desperately for buttons of some sort to press. Just as he is about to search for buttons, he sees a flash of something pink swimming past his boat. The flash is gone before Hyrem can even check out what it was, but whatever it was, it was certainly in a hurry.

Hyrem bends down to inspect a small control panel with a medley of colorful buttons at child-height, presumably for little children to press as a means of enhancing the ride's entertainment value. A red button depicts the rough silouhette of a Remoraid shouting into a megaphone. A blue button depicts a siloutette of a Remoraid blowing bubbles. A yellow button depicts a silouhette of a Remoraid with a rainbow coming out of its mouth. Finally, a green button depicts a Remoraid silouhette pulling on the bow of a wrapped present. Aside from the pictures, the buttons do not seem to be labeled in any way.

While Hyrem tries to figure out which buttons to press, the low hum begins transforming from unintelligible noise to the murmur of voices. A visitor... A visitor... Who visits us...? Who visits us...? The eerie voices chant, as the shadows surround the boat. Unable to shake the feeling that he is being watched, he looks down through the glass-bottom floor on which he stands... He finds his face inches away from the socketless eyes of a young girl's face, whose blue, rotting lips are completely motionless: not even a hint of breath. The only thing that separates man and corpse is the Mantine's glass floor. Perhaps the ride unearthed a bed of resting bodies, which now float to the surface... The corpselike being startles as she sees Hyrem, and her countenance quickly morphs from a blank, lifeless expression to one of unimaginable rage.

A shrill scream pierces through the bottom of the boat; A BREATHER! The animated corpse's distorted, furious face presses against the glass, her fists viciously pounding on the floor of the MechaMantine. I SEE YOUR CHEST MOVING. YOUR MOUTH IS FULL OF AIR. WE DO NOT NEED YOUR AIR! WE WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOUR SCREAMS! WE WILL DROWN THEM OUT! Her infuriated screeches echo through the boat, along with the rapid percussion of her fists pounding at Hyrem's feet; he can feel the vibrations clear through his legs. As she pounds, more and more dead faces press themselves against the walls, the ceiling, the floors; Hyrem is surrounded by the faces of children. Distorted, hateful faces, drowned faces, eyeless spectres with burning glares that melt poor Frillish's mind into utter insanity. The creature hums as loud as he can and rocks back and forth in his little jelly ball; he is completely distraught, surrounded by the makings of a nightmare.

Treecko's Awesomeness- TA cannot bear to see his new friend cry. Providing a warm embrace and some soft encouragement, he decides that he will defend her from the horrible reminders of her past by attempting to scare the Chatot away. His screams and bangs seem to have little effect; the Chatot start landing, one by one, on the wings of TA's MechaMantine, slowly weighing it down. Though TA's screams do not seem to scare the Chatot, they do seem to take notice of them, and begin murmuring amongst themselves in Chatot language. Eventually, they all nod in agreement, one of them flying off the wing to face the MechaMantine window, where TA sits.

Chaaaaat! Miss Hoppip. Miss Hoppip. Chaaaat! Never came back. Miss her so much. Want to see her. Remind her, Chatot! I miss her! Why did she leave me? CHAAAAAAT! Hoppip perks up at the statements of this particular Chatot, and cautiously approaches the window, looking curiously at the parrot-like Pokemon. Suddenly, something seems to occur to her. She waves her arms frantically, shouting in Hoppip-language to the Chatot. It is unclear exactly what the Hoppip is saying, but it sounds urgent. The Chatot hear her pleas and begin cawing loudly; eventually, their cawing ceases, as the sound of a loud THUMP rattles the mechaMantine. TA and Hoppip find themselves lowering slowly as something begins to weigh down on the ride with the rest of the Chatot. The ride eventually runs aground, and skids across the dirt before eventually stopping. Something about the descent is strange, though... It was as if the drop was controlled in some way by whatever was weighing down the Mantine to ensure that the two occupants would land safely. Hoppip points at the window, pounding it with her little, pink fists, as if hoping TA will help her break it open. Beyond that window is a dark, eerie forest which seems to stretch on endlessly.

Certainly, TA could help Hoppip with her task and go with his little companion into what is likely an incredibly dangerous situation; he could also try and figure out if he could get whatever is weighing down the MechaMantine to let up, so that the pair can get flying again. What will TA do?

Balmund- Balmund is honest with William, admitting that he has no idea what the significance of the number 10 could be. He then asks William if he could perhaps explain what is going on, since he seems to know something about the ride. William takes on a more serious expression, and leans toward Balmund, placing a hand perpendicular his mouth in order to indicate that he is about to whisper; "I wish I could, but the walls have ears and we don't have much time 'til we're at the gate... I want you to listen to me very carefully. If the Guardians of this place find out that you don't belong here, they will come after you. Pretend you belong. Pretend you're here for a fun day at the park. The longer we can go without them chasing us, the better." William retracts his hand, putting on a smiling face as the ride enters the docking station backwards. He forces a laugh and points at Balmund, pretending to be in mid-conversation about their recent rollercoaster ride. His large grin and overexaggerated mannerisms are in sharp contrast to his former demeanor. "Man, the look on your face when you looked down from the summit! You looked like you were gonna s**t yourself! Ha-HA! I can't wait to go again... First, though, I think we should grab somethin' to eat. All that screamin' made me effin' hungry!!"

As the pair come to a slow halt at the docking station, it appears as if the park has come back to life again; trainers and children in somewhat outdated clothing wait in lines at the docking station, eagerly awaiting their turn at the Rollerquaza. The once shabby, dust-filled station is now bright, freshly-painted and full of energy. What remains unchanged, however, is the eerie mascot that awaits your arrival; standing at the controls, he allows for the restraints to be lifted off of your shoulders, and motions for you to exit the ride. His expressionless mask's plastic-eyed gaze follows you both as you dismount from the Rollerquaza; William whispers to Balmund, "Man, I guess that thing was always an effin' creep show..." He laughs a bit after this whispered bit of dialog, though his eyes betray his nervousness around this mascot. Filing in with the lines of people leaving the Rollerquaza and praising its amazing ability to make parents throw up (to the simultaneous amusement and disgust of their children) in addition to making children scream with fear and delight, William turns to Balmund, attempting to initiate some kind of park-related conversation. "So, Duke, where d'you want to eat? I'm like a Gulpin, man... I can eat pretty much anything. Pika-Pizza in the Food Court has some decent, cheap food, or we could go to one of the snack stands and get some ice cream or somethin'..." He reaches into his backpack, and pulls out a map of the park to show Balmund. He can see that clearly marked on the map is a path drawn in red marker, which begins at the Rollerquaza ride. From the Rollerquaza, the path goes through the food court, down through the various carnival games, past Mantine Mania and to the Ghost Train. The path ends at the Ghost Train with a single red "X", with little explanation as to what the path could mean. He points at the Food Court, and seems to be studying the various food options that line his pre-determined path. "Let's see... Houndour's flamin' hot dogs always has a bit of a line, but their stuff's really good. Pika-Pizza is cheap and pretty good, like I said before... the one-stop snack shop would be really quick, but it's mostly ice cream and chips and s**t; nothing too filling. Finally, there's the salad bar, if you're into that healthy nonsense." He turns to Balmund. "I'll leave it up to you, man... It's been a rough ride for you, so you deserve to pick the meal." As the two men walk and talk, neither can seem to shake the feeling that they are being watched. William quickly folds up the map and puts it away, as if keeping it out too long was somehow dangerous. "So, what are you in the mood for?"

How does Balmund respond?

Tuner89- Though Tuner is initially overcome with worry at the Sentret's sudden dive into the water, he is relieved when the little ferret-like creature swims back safe and sound. Intrigued by the bottle in Tuner's mouth, he seems intrigued by what the message might say. As Tuner unravels the parchment, it's clear that water damage has done a number on this piece of paper; roughly half of it has been destroyed. Studying the other half, Tuner can see that the paper is actually a childlike sketch of a clearing in a forest. On the good half of the drawing, a little girl with curly hair waves, as if beckoning. The Sentret looks at the picture for a moment, before noticing the crudely-drawn charm bracelet on her wrist; he points at it with his little, furry paw, before reaching beneath his Mantine collar and pulling out a small charm that looks like a tiny princess crown. The Sentret hands the little charm over to Tuner, and clasps it in his hand. Sentret jumps up and down, appearing to be filled with excitement. You have obtained the crown charm; its use to you is not yet known.

Tuner notices that shadows seem to be gathering beneath the surface of the water, though it is hard to say what they might be and whether or not they will pose any danger. Meanwhile, Sentret seems profoundly alert; he seems to be looking for any opportunity to get safely from the Mantine flume to the forest that surrounds the pair. One option could be to ask Sentret to use Surf as a means of ferrying Tuner over to the forest, though he risks being noticed by whatever creatures are gathering beneath the surface of the water. Another is to look for a downed tree or some land that juts out so that the pair may walk across; there appear to be none immediately surrounding them, though the first major plunge looms just ahead. Provided they survive, there might be better opportunities for crossing to land without swimming after the drop. If Tuner is particularly resourceful, he may even think of his own method of getting to the forest, which he can share with his Sentret.

What will Tuner do?

Shadowshocker- Thinking quickly, Shadow provides his Pokemon with a Persim Berry as a means of shaking her confusion. As Dahlia consumes her berry, the Chandelure fades into existance, leaving only a tiny glimmer of a flame behind... Unfortunately for Chandelure, Dahlia seems wise to his attempts at Astonishing her, and deftly avoids the frightening attack by carefully monitoring the location of the tiny flame before Chandelure suddenly reappears in an attempt to severely frighten the bright-orange bird. In response to Chandelure re-materializing, Dahlia puts on a Facade that she's healthy and full of power; concentrating her rage into this vicious attack, she charges at Chandelure, and manages to make contact, slamming into him with devastating force. Chandelure's core flame flickers with the blow, and the chandelier Pokemon looks somewhat rattled. Regaining composure after shaking himself back into battle mode, the Chandelure fires off a Flame Burst towards the oddly-colored Murkrow; it seems as if luck is favoring Dahlia this round, as the flames barely graze her as she makes the split-second decision to dive below the burst; the flames miss her almost completely, only singing the tips of a few feathers on the Murkrow's head. Dahlia opens her beak and unleashes waves of black and purple energy in the form of a Dark Pulse, which hits the Chandelure right in one of its candle-bearing "arms". The super-effective attack does some decent damage, though it is clear that Chandelure is done playing games with his opponent. Realizing that a barrage of super-effective attacks should be expected from the dark-type Murkrow, shrinks into himself, defensively using Minimize in order to decrease the likelihood of being hit in the appendages a second time. Inspired by the success of her first Dark Pulse, she attempts a second, unleashing another pulsating, dark beam from her open beak. This time, however, Chandelure is quick to float away from the attack, sustaining a minor side-swipe from the passing beam. He fires another Flame Burst at his opponent; this time, the fire makes a direct hit, causing Dahlia to howl in pain. Fortunately, the flames extinguish quickly, and Dahlia does not appear to have sustained major damage from the attack aside from the initial burst of pain. Dahlia's cough remains persistant, as the poison gradually takes its toll. Despite the heavy blows exchanged, both Pokemon seem resilient in the face of their attacker, with plenty of fight left in both combatants.

Dark Searchman- Hyrem is greeted by a Pokemon that he has never seen before; as his Pokedex provides some relevant information regarding the creature, Hyrem feels a great sense of relief knowing that the confusion about whether the Frillish was living or dead likely had to do with being part ghost-type. Hyrem introduces himself while taking note of the collar on the Frillish's neck, making note of its appearance for potential rescues.

Hyrem takes notice of the strange shadows beneath the boat just as the Frillish does, which prompts him to nervously question what might be floating to meet them. Though Hyrem tries to comfort his new companion by reasoning that it's probably just a couple of Pokemon looking to say hello, like the poster for the attraction advertised, his stammering voice and worried expression does nothing to calm the already-hysterical jellyfish. Hyrem realizes that the Frillish might be humming loudly in order to drown out the low-pitched noise that seems to be growing in strength as the shadows approach; the sound that Frillish so desperately tries to drown out seems to unnerve Hyrem, as well. He decides to take action, searching the submarine desperately for buttons of some sort to press. Just as he is about to search for buttons, he sees a flash of something pink swimming past his boat. The flash is gone before Hyrem can even check out what it was, but whatever it was, it was certainly in a hurry.

Hyrem bends down to inspect a small control panel with a medley of colorful buttons at child-height, presumably for little children to press as a means of enhancing the ride's entertainment value. A red button depicts the rough silouhette of a Remoraid shouting into a megaphone. A blue button depicts a siloutette of a Remoraid blowing bubbles. A yellow button depicts a silouhette of a Remoraid with a rainbow coming out of its mouth. Finally, a green button depicts a Remoraid silouhette pulling on the bow of a wrapped present. Aside from the pictures, the buttons do not seem to be labeled in any way.

While Hyrem tries to figure out which buttons to press, the low hum begins transforming from unintelligible noise to the murmur of voices. A visitor... A visitor... Who visits us...? Who visits us...? The eerie voices chant, as the shadows surround the boat. Unable to shake the feeling that he is being watched, he looks down through the glass-bottom floor on which he stands... He finds his face inches away from the socketless eyes of a young girl's face, whose blue, rotting lips are completely motionless: not even a hint of breath. The only thing that separates man and corpse is the Mantine's glass floor. Perhaps the ride unearthed a bed of resting bodies, which now float to the surface... The corpselike being startles as she sees Hyrem, and her countenance quickly morphs from a blank, lifeless expression to one of unimaginable rage.

A shrill scream pierces through the bottom of the boat; A BREATHER! The animated corpse's distorted, furious face presses against the glass, her fists viciously pounding on the floor of the MechaMantine. I SEE YOUR CHEST MOVING. YOUR MOUTH IS FULL OF AIR. WE DO NOT NEED YOUR AIR! WE WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOUR SCREAMS! WE WILL DROWN THEM OUT! Her infuriated screeches echo through the boat, along with the rapid percussion of her fists pounding at Hyrem's feet; he can feel the vibrations clear through his legs. As she pounds, more and more dead faces press themselves against the walls, the ceiling, the floors; Hyrem is surrounded by the faces of children. Distorted, hateful faces, drowned faces, eyeless spectres with burning glares that melt poor Frillish's mind into utter insanity. The creature hums as loud as he can and rocks back and forth in his little jelly ball; he is completely distraught, surrounded by the makings of a nightmare.

Before Hyrem started searching for buttons, something flashed by him that caught his eye. "Wh-what was that!?" he said quickly, still on edge from all the shadows surrounding him. It looked pink, but it was gone before he could even confirm what color it was.

Well, no time to think about that, he still needed to figure out something to do about everything around him. He eventually found four buttons that kids could press to have fun, one red, one blue, one yellow, one green, with different pictures that depicted the general idea of what each one did. No labels, however, so he could only guess what each of them actually did.

Then things take a turn from worse to downright crazy. The low hum becomes a collection of... voices... A visitor... A visitor... and each and every one of them... Who visits us...? Who visits us...? ...sends shivers down Hyrem's spine. "Vvvvvvvvoices!?" quivered Hyrem, whose own voice was starting to reach the higher registers along with Frillish. "Who could be- AAAAH!!"

A dead girl's body had made contact with the bottom of the MechaMantine, her pale, blue, rotting face inches from Hyrem's face. The shadows all around him... probably other dead bodies that were floating to the surface. He dared try to exhale so he could speak.

He felt the breath come back in again as the girl's body erupted with anger and malice and shrieked. A BREATHER! The undead girl starts pounding the bottom of the boat. I SEE YOUR CHEST MOVING. YOUR MOUTH IS FULL OF AIR. WE DO NOT NEED YOUR AIR! WE WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOUR SCREAMS! WE WILL DROWN THEM OUT! Hyrem was hysterical by now. He didn't need the pounding of the girl reverberating through his legs. He didn't need other zombified kids joining in on the pounding from all sides. He didn't need Frillish also going near insanity with him, humming louder and louder and rocking his jelly body back and forth as if that would somehow help to stop any of this.

He started frantically pushing the buttons: the yellow one so that maybe there would be some light to scare them off, the blue one so that maybe they could escape in a cloud of bubbles, the green one so the presents might float to the surface and draw the kids away from the sub, the red one so he could make some sort of loud noise to scare them off.

As if to explain the grim odds Hyrem had against him, he could hear... more pounding...

More pounding...

LOUDER...

LOUDER...

CRACKING...

CRACKIIIIIIIING!!!!!!

He found himself pressing the buttons faster and faster and faster until he was just simply button mashing, hoping something would work... anything would work...

Meetan- Against her better judgment, Alice decides to mount the mechanical horse and go for a ride; however, she has a difficult time deciding where she would like to go, and her loyal Swinub seems to be providing no help in making that decision. She first asks if maybe she could go once around the merry-go-round, stroking the mechanical horse's sculpted mane. The horse's plastic exterior is surprisingly ice-cold, even for the chilly atmosphere that surrounds both horse and rider. As Alice's hand travels down the mane and along the Rapidash's back, the texture seems to become less hard and rigid, yielding to a more soft, hair-like consistancy... It was as if the horse was coming to life. Of course, Alice realizes quickly that her tactile sense is deceiving her, as shiny horse still looks as solid and fake as ever. Alice's request then becomes slightly more adventurous, suggesting that they travel to the Fortune Teller's tent. As she climbs the stirrup and mounts the mechanical Rapidash (with Swinub following her lead), she goes so far as to request a ride around Phantom Isle... How many rides will this Rapidash offer to give her, anyway? There are so many options, it seems hard to pick just one!

The Rapidash chuckles eerily in response to Alice's indecision. "Tell y'what, puddin'... How 'bout we mosey on over to the Fortune Teller's Tent and ask her where we should go? That lady may be a few cards short of a full deck, but she knows a thing 'er two about directions, let me tell ya'... She might know which path is the best one fer' whatever y'happen t'be lookin' fer. I hope yer' holdin' on tight..." The Rapidash begins trotting off of the carousel at a leisurely pace, before breaking into a gallop around the carousel. She runs faster... faster... faster... So fast that Alice has no idea how she and her Swinub are managing to hang on, as colors and lights from the carousel zoom by in a blur. Faster, faster, faster, until a blinding light overwhelms both Swinub and trainer; when the light fades, the two suddenly find themselves outside of the Fortune Teller's Tent, as if they had teleported there. Both of them feel somewhat ill after the intense ride. "Woooo-eeee~!" The horse neighs happily. "That's just the beginnin'. WOO! Talk about exileratin'! Everyone okay back there?" The mechanical horse turns to face Alice, its disturbing red eyes focused directly on her. "Don't want any mishaps, now... Y'might feel a lil' sick at first, but you'll get used to it."

As the Rapidash says this, Alice's bag begins to move strangely, as if something living was inside. Suddenly, an odd creature tumbles out of the bag and onto the ground; fortunately, its catlike physique allows it to land on its feet. The creature, which Alice now identifies as a Purrloin, has her berry bag in its mouth, but the little thief promptly drops it as it wobbles around a bit, trying to get its bearings and recover from its unexpected wild ride. The mechanical horse looks at it with narrowed eyes. "Looks like we got a stowaway... Lotsa' varmints comin' round the merry-go-round to play tricks and steal things from good, upstandin' trainers. Lucky you caught this one, or it might'a made off with yer' berries..." The Rapidash snorts in the direction of the angry Purrloin, before muttering, "Ain't worth my time." The Purrloin, however, snarls at Alice, as if she were the one responsible for making it feel sick. As the Rapidash stops to let Alice dismount in order to retrieve her berry bag, the Purrloin growls and rushes toward Alice. The fire in its eyes seems to indicate that it wants to battle her for the berries!

What will Alice do?

When Alice felt the sudden change in the mane, she frowned, and her stomach did a leap. The young girl had a fear of fire-types, and though she owned a Torchic, there was a reason she hadn't bonded with him yet. Honestly, the girl felt sorry about it. "That seems a good idea to me. I do like tarot." She voiced, laughing weakly at the monster's metaphor. The girl gripped with her heels and fists as it began to move, and at first, it was smooth sailing - her time at a Pokemon Academy meant that she knew how to ride Pokemon, even if she had shyed away from the obvious Pokemon to learn with. But it was gaining speed, quickly, and she ducked against him, clutching Swinub securely between her bent arms. There was a bright light, which forced her to shut her eyes, and when it faded away... They had already arrived.

"Well, at least someone enjoyed that..." The girl breathed. It took a lot to make Alice feel sick. She wasn't affected by much gore, unpleasant noises or any theme park rides, but that had surely done it. Inhaling shakily, her attempt to calm down did not last, and she shrieked as her bag began moving. Swinub jumped. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygodthere'ssomethingintheregetit OUTohmygod~!" Another childish whinge, and the something revealed itself: a beautiful Purrloin, up to no good as their species often was. "Hey, what the hell...?" The girl complained, scowling at the sight of her raided berry bag. "I'd been saving up ingredients in that!"

The trainer went to descend, but ended up cursing loudly and swinging herself off the other side. The dark-type was going straight for her. "Bite and then tackle, Swinub!" Alice commanded in a hurry, and her partner obeyed. He went to clamp his teeth down on the cat's tail, and following that, tackle it right off of Rapidash's back.